ghost bike
Eilidh Cairns
Pembridge Road and Notting Hill Gate
London, England
Inquest continues in London cycling death from February 2009 »
Lorry kills woman cyclist on road too narrow for it to pass
via London Evening Standard, posted January 22, 2010
A cyclist was crushed to death by a tipper lorry at an accident blackspot where the road was too narrow for the vehicle, an inquest heard today.
TV producer Eilidh Cairns, 30, died from multiple injuries after the rush-hour collision at a pedestrian crossing near Pembridge Road, Notting Hill. The road narrowed to two metres at that point and the truck, driven by Joao Lopes, was 2.5 metres wide, Westminster coroner’s court heard.
As Ms Cairns lay trapped under the wheels at 9am on 5 February last year, she pleaded with a woman to stay with her until the ambulance arrived. Eyewitnesses Melinda Ross told the inquest in a statement: “I heard a loud bang and a scream. I saw a woman trapped under the second wheel of the lorry.
“Her body from the waist down was under the tyre itself. She asked me to help her and not to leave. She found it hard to breathe and was in pain.
“She kept asking where the ambulance was and I stayed with her and tried to keep her calm.” Ms Cairns, of Kentish Town, died in hospital at 10.48.
Anna Morris, for Ms Cairns’s family, said: “The collision investigation report specifically makes observations on the narrowing of the carriageway at this key point.
“It notes that at one point it is two metres wide, while the vehicle in question is 2.5 metres wide.
“It is obvious now from the material obtained there have been other incidents at this crossing. There have been allegations of incidents resulting in serious injury that have been noted by the council.”
Deputy coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe rejected an appeal by the family to adjourn the inquest so Kensington and Chelsea council could see the report.
Ms Cairns’s sister Kate said: “Eilidh always strove to be fit and active and loved to cycle to work. Her daily commute alone was 20 miles a day.”
Mr Lopes faces criminal proceedings in connection with the death. He attended the inquest with a Portuguese interpreter.
The inquest continues.
from Flickr user Mikey B_
ghost bike
St John Street
London, UK
from Flickr user Mikey B_
ghost bike
Lucinda Ferrier
Manor Road and Stamford Hill
London, UK
Second female cyclist in 24 hours killed in collision with HGV in London »
(HGV stands for Heavy Goods Vehicle, and is how the Brits call cargo trucks over 3.5 tons in weight.)
London paramedic's account of response to bike vs truck »
Account from an ambulance paramedic in London who attended the scene where a bike was crushed to death by a truck. Warning: the account is somewhat graphic.
Interesting discussion in the comments section about helmets, as well as an account from another paramedic from Connecticut, US, involving a biker and a dump truck.
Ghosts
A short documentary-style drama inspired by the Ghost Bikes memorials of London.
Directed by Joe Wihl
ghost bike for Brixton Brady in Hackney, London
from Flickr user Frazer Nash:
For Brixton Brady, Morning Lane, Hackney, London.
The coloured splatters are candle wax.
from ghostcycle.org.uk:
Ghost cycle aims
There are thousands of active cyclists in London, and facilities are gradually improving in most boroughs of the capital. The aim of this project is to identify and make visible accident spots around the city, as well as attempting to collate some form of statistical information regarding bicycle accidents. The original ghostcycle website served the area in and around Seattle in the United States. It appears that this is no longer maintained, the mantle now taken over by ghostbikes.
Originally we placed ghostcycles at accident spots in line with the American ghostcycle site. However we are changing to be in line with the new ghostbikes site, and place bikes to commemorate those who have died cycling.
We will continue to collate data and are in the process of extend the relevance of the data to include HGV incidents, in light of the apparent increase in HGV traffic in London.
Please log your incident reports so we can build the database of information. We urge you to report all incidents, and to pass around the address of the website. Please return to the site often. Also if you read about any incidents around the UK, please send us the details. Ultimately we hope that through information and education people will have a better understanding of the changes necessary to make our streets safer for everyone.
Cycle of life and death »
by Geoff Dyer
from The Guardian, originally published: May 16, 2008
posted in response to this photo of a ghost bike in Hackney:
“I was passing by on my way to work just after the accident - really grim - then i started noticing ghost bikes
the flowers kept being replaced for a long time”
excerpted from article in The London Evening Standard:
Adrianna Skrzypiec, 31, died in Greenwich, south east London, as she was cycling home from work to one of her best friend’s birthday at a local pub.
She was hit by a lorry at the junction of Woolwich Road and the Kent-bound A102 and died at the scene. The driver of the truck did not stop and is yet to be found by police.
her friends placed this poster by her ghost bike, appealing for witnesses to come forward.
ghost bike at Notting Hill Gate, London
from Flickr user leoniewise on November 22, 2009:
Elizabeth (Kiki / Liz) Webb
1978 - 1999
Student nurse
Killed under the wheels
of a lorry
always loving you
ghost bicycle, mile end
ghost bike at Marble Arch, London
