"I can't help it if a cyclist falls over"

[glenn forger]

Says over-taking driver on wrong side of the road who killed a cyclist:

The former parish church bell ringer said she had not seen the cyclists coming from the other direction when she overtook, and thought there was 'sufficient room' to make the manoeuvre.

Measures said she was 'surprised' to see Mr Pontin and his girlfriend coming towards her as she rounded the curve in the road - but felt they still had enough room to get past.

'I don’t know why I didn’t see them,' she said.

'I had to make a decision of what to do. I felt the safest decision was to continue straight ahead because they were in single file.

'If I had been concerned, I would have stopped suddenly.'

Mr Pontin had earlier told the jury he saw Measures make a 'stupid manoeuvre' in front of them on a bend in the A415.

Describing the moment the oncoming car overtook the cyclists on the opposite side of the road, he said: 'I just couldn’t believe the person driving had overtaken at that point.'



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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...d-cyclist-bike-ride-boyfriend-jury-hears.html

A rather combative stance, I suppose.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

Since I refuse to click on any links to that rag of a newspaper I found the story elsewhere.

The 51-year-old divorced mother-of-four, herself a keen cyclist, told Oxford Crown Court: "I can't help it if a cyclist, with all due respect, falls over as I'm approaching them and comes into my line of travel.
​

Keen cyclist my arse.

What a vile, contemptible woman. Sadly, I can predict that even if she is convicted she will retain her licence due to the extreme hardship a ban would cause in her lifesaving oncology work blah blah blah...

GC

 

[on the road]

I'm dreading the daily s***e turning on the comments.

 

[BSRU]

What a load of crap she is spewing to justify killing a fellow human being

 

[glenn forger]

Asked if she had a chance to brake, she cried and slumped over the witness stand with a tissue clasped in her hand.

Through her tears, she whispered: "No."

She said she was "surprised" to see Mr Pontin and his girlfriend suddenly coming towards her as she rounded the curve in the road, but felt they still had enough room to get past.

"I don't know why I didn't see them," she said.

"I had to make a decision of what to do. I felt the safest decision was to continue straight ahead because they were in single file.

"If I had been concerned, I would have stopped suddenly."

She saw them, and decided to carry on.

 

[GrasB]

As far as I'm concerned she incriminated her self.
- She didn't expect anything to be there, so must have been unsighted at the start of the manoeuvre, or probably just wasn't actually looking.
- Wasn't concerned about, or even aware?, of the increase in risk level in completing the manoeuvre (I wouldn't say as planned as I doubt she had planned the manoeuvre in the first place!)
- Did not give adequate space to oncoming traffic avoid any in-lane obstacles.

 

[Bryony]

By the sound of it she was overtaking the first cyclists on a bend which on its own is wreck less driving!
But how dare she blame the poor girl for falling over in front of her for causing the accident especially when she is no longer with us to defend herself!
I don't care how many lives this woman has saved with her services to oncology she is a poor specimen of a human being!

 

[tyred]

'I had my daughter in the car. I do not drive without due care and attention.'

This stands out for me. I would consider it driving without due care and attention or even dangerous driving to overtake when there is traffic coming the other way and/if you cannot see it that there is anything coming towards you due to poor sight lines.

Also, does she mean it's okay to drive without due care and attention if you don't have a child in the car?

 

[Arjimlad]

C'mon, it's her Human Right to drive and to overtake dangerously on a bend, after all. I'd like to see what this bend is like..

 

[SamC]

The cognitive dissonance is astounding. I was overtaking on a bend, I didn’t see them, I didn’t expect to see them, I saw them but didn’t think there was any danger, I thought there was sufficient room, blah blah blah blah. Either you saw them or you didn’t, either you drive safely or you overtake on bends, you can’t have it both ways.

 

[sabian92]

Oh Christ! I know this lady in fact she is a client of mine, I had no idea this was going on. What a bloody awful shame for everyone, especially the poor girls family.

I do hope you refuse to continue business with this cretin of a human....

 

[EltonFrog]

I do hope you refuse to continue business with this cretin of a human....

Steady old chap, this lady is a mother with children of her own, it is a dreadful thing to happen, and I don't know the full facts any more than you, but what I do know is, that before this happened she was (and still is) a very nice lady, with a charming family, ( I have also met the little girl who was in the car at the time and I have met the lady's partner). It is possible,( though I accept unlikely) that it may not have been her fault. So let's wait and see shall we. If she is found guilty then she needs to go to jail and be banned from driving for life. It is also possible that the cyclist was at fault. I shall be following this case with interest.

 

[sabian92]

Steady old chap, this lady is a mother with children of her own, it is a dreadful thing to happen, and I don't know the full facts any more than you, but what I do know is, that before this happened she was (and still is) a very nice lady, with a charming family, ( I have also met the little girl who was in the car at the time and I have met the lady's partner). It is possible,( though I accept unlikely) that it may not have been her fault. So let's wait and see shall we. If she is found guilty then she needs to go to jail and be banned from driving for life. It is also possible that the cyclist was at fault. I shall be following this case with interest.

Maybe so but judging by what is written she is a moron of epic proportions. Overtaking on a blind bend? How thick do you have to be?

 

[Chris Norton]

What would have happened if it was a car she hit? The speed impact suddenly doubles, the pair of cyclists that were overtook would possibly have been taken out, plus the damage done to the people in the cars. Simply put though, it was a very bad decision by the car driver and thats it.

 

[Cycling Dan]

Since I refuse to click on any links to that rag of a newspaper I found the story elsewhere.

The 51-year-old divorced mother-of-four, herself a keen cyclist, told Oxford Crown Court: "I can't help it if a cyclist, with all due respect, falls over as I'm approaching them and comes into my line of travel.
​

Keen cyclist my arse.

What a vile, contemptible woman. Sadly, I can predict that even if she is convicted she will retain her licence due to the extreme hardship a ban would cause in her lifesaving oncology work blah blah blah...

GC

This extreme hardship BS is cropping up more and more. Why don't they just buy a bus pass with the savings of not paying for fuel??
I really don't care if its harder for you. Get up more early and walk the extra distance if required or for the early bus to arrive on time. At the end of the day you killed someone due to you being a terrible driver who evidently can't drive safely and show a utter disregard for every road user around you.. I don't want you on the road so why should I let you in other words I will not let you is the line I would take as a judge.