Cyclist was crushed by truck

An inquest jury has recommended that a junction, described as one of the busiest in Dublin, be examined after the death of a …

An inquest jury has recommended that a junction, described as one of the busiest in Dublin, be examined after the death of a cyclist who was hit by an articulated truck.

Dublin City Coroner's Court yesterday heard that Dr Olivia Potterton (37), from Phibsborough, died on June 27th last year after her bicycle collided with the cab of the truck as it made a left turn from Westmoreland Street onto Aston Quay.

The accident happened shortly after 4.30 p.m. at the beginning of the rush-hour. Both the truck, which was not carrying a container, and the cyclist, were later seen on Garda CCTV camera footage as they approached the junction.The collision itself was not visible on video because it was obscured by a bus parked on Aston Quay.

A garda who attended the scene described the junction as "probably one of the busiest junctions in the city centre, particularly in terms of pedestrian traffic".

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A number of pedestrians who had been waiting to cross the road at various points before the accident said they understood Dr Potterton had intended to go straight ahead from Westmoreland Street.

However, one woman, who was crossing the road from the river side of the junction, said she believed the cyclist had intended to turn left.

Dr Potterton and her bicycle went under the front wheels of the cab of the truck, witnesses said.

She was found to have died from multiple injuries and in particular, severe head injuries. The inquest heard that trucks need to make a very wide-angled turn at the junction to avoid their trailers mounting the footpath. Mr Patrick Flannery, the truck driver, said at no point had he seen the cyclist on his inside before or as he made the left turn.

As he made the left turn, Mr Flannery said he "felt something under me" and realised from the reaction of the pedestrians around him that he had hit a person. He believed at that time it was a pedestrian.

"I was not aware of the cyclist at all prior to the accident," he said.

He knew he had indicated and checked his mirrors. "At no point did I see a cyclist, because if I had, I would have been watching out for her."

He did not believe he would necessarily have seen the cyclist in his mirror if she was further forward alongside the cab than the level of his mirrors.

A Garda public service vehicle (PSV) inspector who examined the truck and the bicycle after the accident, agreed with Mr Joseph Durkan, for the Potterton family, that because of the position of indicators on the truck cab, a cyclist would not have any idea whether a truck was turning left if he or she was on the inside in line with the cab.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death and added a rider recommending the configuration of the junction at the corner of Westmoreland Street and Aston Quay be "re-evaluated" to assess whether the footpath protrudes too far at that corner, and also to establish if a cycle lane could be provided in the area.

The coroner, Dr Brian Farrell, said he would bring the recommendation to the attention of Dublin Corporation's traffic department.