A TRUCK involved in an incident in which a cyclist was crushed to death in Dublin was not fitted with a special mirror which gives lorry drivers a wider angle of vision along the passenger side of the vehicle, an inquest has heard.
Maureen Martin (52), Navan Road, Dublin, suffered multiple acute traumatic injuries when she was knocked from her bicycle and became caught in the undercarriage of a Hannay Recycling truck as it made a left turn from the Navan Road on to Nephin Road on April 23rd, 2008.
Ms Martin, a mother of three and wife of Garda Paul Martin of Store Street Garda station, was on her way to meet an employee assistance officer at Eircom with regard to returning to work, as well as to return books to the local library, when the incident occurred.
The lights turned green and Ms Martin, who was was in the cycle lane intending to travel straight ahead, was knocked from her bicycle by the two-axle 26-tonne truck which was turning left.
An inquest into her death at the Dublin City Coroner’s Court yesterday heard that a wide-angle mirror, which improves the side view of the passenger side of the vehicle, was absent from the truck although there was a bracket in place for it.
Garda John Reynolds of the forensic accident reconstruction unit said it would have been prudent to replace the mirror. Public service vehicle inspector Garda Michael Treacy agreed that in terms of safety, it would have been better if the mirror had been replaced.
The wide-angle mirror is obligatory on high-sided trucks since January 1st this year, but was not obligatory at the time of the incident.
Garda Reynolds said there was an unrestricted view down the cycle lane. He told Chris Horrigan, solicitor for the Martin family, that had the driver looked in the mirror (rear view), he would have seen back down the cycle lane and would have seen Ms Martin. He added that further adjustment of the rear view mirror was possible to give a wider view.
The driver of the vehicle, Petras Dzvindas, from Lithuania, said he had adjusted the mirror to suit his height and seating position.
He told the court he looked in his mirrors before turning carefully and never saw Ms Martin. He said the wide angle mirror was not necessary and he had not complained to his employer about the absence of the mirror.
The vehicle was also fitted with a close proximity mirror.
A jury of five women and one man returned a verdict of accidental death under the direction of coroner Dr Brian Farrell. The jury recommended the introduction of a waiting area for cyclists at traffic lights, as well as the provision of a proximity sensor on trucks.