"Tony Raven" wrote in message
...
In the threads about a cyclist killed by a drunk truck driver Mr Cheerful
said the following:

don't get on the inside of lorries, particularly at junctions, she paid
the
ultimate price for her actions.

when did you last see a cyclist stop at a set of traffic lights? Pound
to a
penny she rode up the inside.

And yes, I do think she rode up the inside, and by so doing she put
herself
into mortal danger, perhaps if she had been trained in road use then this
tragedy need not have occurred.

of course, if she had not been there, she would probably still be alive

I cannot see the point of her exercising a right which got her killed.
The drink overlimit was trivial and probably had no actual effect on the
driver.

it is only a few years since that reading would have been legal. A
regular drinker will not show any effects from such a small amount 'over
the limit'

And as Mr Pounder said:

"The trial continues"

Mr Pounder

Well now the trial has finished and we can see just how wrong Mr Cheerless
was:

Do you have a special little folder in your Amstrad 1640 dedicated to me?

Mr Pounder

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/n..._phone_jailed/

Drunk lorry driver who ran over cyclist while talking on mobile phone
jailed

5:50pm Thursday 18th November 2010

A lorry driver who was over the drink drive limit and on a mobile when he
crushed a Clapham cyclist has been jailed for seven years.

Dennis Putz, 51, from North London killed 39-year-old Catriona Patel, of
Common Mile Close, Clapham, after he drove his lorry over her, just
outside the Tube station on June 29, 2009.

Mrs Patel, a regular cyclist wearing a hi-visibility jacket and a helmet,
was cycling her normal route to work on that Monday morning.

She stopped at a red light, in the cycle reservoir in front of a large
green tipper lorry at 8.23am, at the junction of Kennington Park Road and
Harleyford Street.

As the lights turned green, Mrs Patel pulled off, intending to go straight
across the junction.

Putz, who was over the drink drive limit and was driving with one hand on
the wheel while talking on his mobile phone, turned left.

The truck caught the rear wheel of Mrs Patel's bike, dragging her
underneath the vehicle.

Witnesses watched in horror, as Putz failed to notice the cyclist caught
underneath his lorry. Only when passers by began banging on the side of
his vehicle did Putz finally stop.

She was given first aid at the scene by passers-by and taken by air
ambulance to the Royal London Hospital, with multiple rib fractures and
internal bleeding. She was taken straight into surgery but went into
cardiac arrest. She was pronounced dead at 11:30am that morning.

The post mortem examination found she died from a ruptured spleen,
fractured ribs, lung laceration and pelvic fractures.

Mrs Patel, who had been married for seven years, left behind her husband
Anish.

Putz stated that the cyclist must have been in his blind spot, but the
court heard that she had been in his view for at least 29 seconds before
he moved off and began to turn left. She also remained in view throughout
the turn until he was stopped by members of the public.

Putz, who was drink driving and on the phone was found guilty of death by
dangerous driving, has now received a life time driving ban.

It was revealed during the trial that he had 20 previous
disqualifications, three drink drive convictions and three previous
convictions for reckless driving.

Detective Constable Tony Tobin, the senior investigating officer, said:
"Our thoughts are with Catriona's husband and the rest of her family as
they have to deal with her loss every day.

"Dennis Putz started driving a large tipper truck that day still 1.5 times
the legal drink drive limit. He was also using a mobile telephone as he
hit Catriona.

"The combination of the size of vehicle, drink and phone came together to
produce such tragic consequences."

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Chalmers from the Road Death Investigation
Unit, said: "Dennis Putz ignored the duty of care he had to other road
users, which resulted in the tragic death of this young woman.

"The Met takes this sort of crime seriously and the Traffic department now
has some of London's most experienced detectives investigating fatal road
collisions.

"If someone dies on one of the capital's roads as a result of dangerous
driving the investigation will be thorough, professional and relentless."


I won't hold my breath waiting for Mr Cheerless to say he was wrong.


Tony