2019 Cycling Fatalities

[AdelaidePeter]

https://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/break ... 6a00c5c9de
NSW man charged for death in bike crash
Ashlea Witoslawski, Australian Associated Press
April 12, 2020 2:45pm
•
A 31-year-old NSW man has been charged for killing a pedestrian and severely injuring another, after allegedly crashing into them on a stolen trail bike in Broken Hill.
Emergency services were called to the scene at Creedon Street, Broken Hill on Friday evening.
A 57-year-old man was taken to Broken Hill Hospital in a serious condition, before he was airlifted to Dubbo Base Hospital with leg and rib injuries.
A 34-year-old woman died at the scene.
The trail bike rider was also injured and tried to leave the scene but was held by witnesses until police arrived.

It was a terrible and avoidable incident, but I think this is in the wrong thread, because it was neither 2019 nor a cycling fatality. "Trail bike" here means trail motorbike, as evidenced by (a) Channel 10 calling it a motorbike https://10daily.com.au/news/crime/a2004 ... e-20200411 ; and (b) he was charged with riding without a license, and of course you do not need a license to ride a bicycle.

[outnabike]

Shifted to
2020 fatalities.

[redsonic]

On the vic police page
https://www.police.vic.gov.au/fatal-hit ... -beaumaris
Fatal hit and run - Beaumaris
Sunday, 24 May 2020 18:51
Detectives from Major Collision Investigation Unit are investigating the circumstances surrounding a fatal hit and run collision which occurred in Beaumaris this evening.
Investigators have been told a cyclist was struck by a Holden Commodore on Beach Road about 5.25pm.
The yet to be identified female cyclist died at the scene.

You might want to shift this to "2020 cycling fatalities"

[redsonic]

Daryl Adams was killed in January 2019 by a truck on the Princes Highway in SA.

ABC News

[redsonic]

ABC News

Sunshine Coast man David Halliwell was killed last year, struck from behind. The 21 year old driver was sentenced today to 9 months (up to 3 years) in jail plus loss of licence for 2 years.

Original discussion here:
viewtopic.php?f=53&t=100138&p=1493498&h ... e#p1493498

[AdelaidePeter]

ABC News

Sunshine Coast man David Halliwell was killed last year, struck from behind. The 21 year old driver was sentenced today to 9 months (up to 3 years) in jail plus loss of licence for 2 years.

Original discussion here:
https://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/view ... e#p1493498

I don't see the point of locking her up for years, but driving again after 2 years is a disgrace. She should lose her license for much, much longer.

[redsonic]

ABC News reports that the truck driver who hit and killed Melbourne cyclist Daryl Adams (and left him for dead on the road) in SA in January 2019 has been sentenced to at least 2 years and 5 months in jail.
The judge did not believe driver Daniel Berry's claim that he was unaware he had hit someone:

"I find the defendant's claim that he sat in the driver's seat of the truck and remained totally oblivious to the fact that the front left portion of his truck had collided with a bicycle and its rider totally implausible," Judge McEwen said. "His claim that he felt nothing inside the cabin, saw nothing of what was happening in front of him and heard nothing, I find lacking in credibility."

He said Barry's testimony on the stand was "vague, inconsistent and lacking in credibility".

"This was not a glancing collision alongside of the truck — the evidence shows the bicycle and its rider were carried forward by the front of the truck," he said.

Judge McEwen said Mr Adams was carried more than 60 metres down the road. "The defendant must have been aware of colliding with the cyclist," he said.

The family were understandably unhappy with the sentence:

"It doesn't sit really great with us, you know, we've got our brother at the cemetery for the rest of our lives," she said.

"You can't just go and not watch what you're doing and kill a human being because he's a brother, a father, a son."

The original report of the incident started this 2019 fatalities thread: https://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/view ... 8#p1473712

[hunch]

From my post above.
http://www.mygc.com.au/sydney-woman-cha ... l-hit-run/
A Lidcombe woman has been charged after she allegedly failed to stop and help a cyclist she fatally struck in Sydney’s west.

Just before 3.30pm on Friday, a 47-year-old woman was arrested after she turned up at Auburn Police Station.
The Lidcombe woman was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday.

I hope that this court don't release her due to the fact that she waited 3 days after she killed the poor rider and do nothing about his life.

On the news, charges dropped.

Driving into a setting sun and preoccupied with that element claimed to be the reason - no need to drive to conditions at all now it seems. Also, don't quite get the claim he went into the side of the car and then she's reversed over him somehow, as per the original report.

Going for costs next week.

[AdelaidePeter]

From my post above.
http://www.mygc.com.au/sydney-woman-cha ... l-hit-run/
A Lidcombe woman has been charged after she allegedly failed to stop and help a cyclist she fatally struck in Sydney’s west.

On the news, charges dropped.

From https://7news.com.au/news/nsw/sydney-dr ... -c-2862237 on the court case (17-May-2021):

At the time, the 49-year-old was driving on Harry Avenue and Maud Street when Rawiri went over her bonnet.

She didn’t realise because the sun was in her eyes, a claim that was backed up by an expert.

Ho left the scene after reversing over Rawiri’s bike and later turned herself into police after seeing news reports on TV later that night.

She was initially charged with dangerous driving occasioning death, which was later dropped.

Ho faced Burwood Court on Monday where a second charge of negligent driving causing death was withdrawn.

So to summarise: if you are blinded, it is neither dangerous nor negligent to keep driving and kill someone. Unbelievable.

[Bunged Knee]

From News.com.au on 6/2/20.

Unspeakable loss’: Teenager accused of dangerous driving causing deaths of two cyclists,

A TEENAGE driver accused of hitting and killing two cyclists in northwest Sydney days before Christmas has faced court for the first time.

Nicholas James Parker is charged with two counts of dangerous driving causing death, negligent driving and failing to drive left of a dividing line.

The 19-year-old from Grose Vale allegedly hit Geoffrey Havill, 49, and Christopher Culver, 40, on Kurrajong Rd in Richmond before 5am on December 19.

Mr Parker's bail was continued at Windsor Local Court today. He's due back in court on April 2.

Just seen and missed the info on tv about Nicholas Parker out of Penrith court today.

Tried to search in the web for info but found nothing.

Checked the court registry for appearance and found that he's in for trial for 3 days from yesterday and will be back to Penrith court tomorrow.

[queequeg]

Just seen and missed the info on tv about Nicholas Parker out of Penrith court today.

Tried to search in the web for info but found nothing.

Checked the court registry for appearance and found that he's in for trial for 3 days from yesterday and will be back to Penrith court tomorrow.

Trial is for up to 5 days. Today is Day 3. Due to Covid, there is no Jury. Apparently if a decision can’t be made this week by the judge for whatever reasons, it may go back to court with a Jury in February. The first two days have prevented all the evidence, and I believe today is expert witnesses.
Nobody wins in this case. For the families this is reliving something that was now almost 2 years ago. The driver would now be 21 or close to it.
I knew both riders.

[queequeg]

Just seen and missed the info on tv about Nicholas Parker out of Penrith court today.

Tried to search in the web for info but found nothing.

Checked the court registry for appearance and found that he's in for trial for 3 days from yesterday and will be back to Penrith court tomorrow.

FYI https://mobile.twitter.com/9NewsSyd/sta ... 5824783376

[biker jk]

Parker found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death. No justice here.

[queequeg]

Parker found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death. No justice here.

He's plead guilty to crossing the wrong side of the road, and judgment on whether he is guilty of negligent driving occasioning death is set aside until next month. I really can't see how he can be found not guilty of that one, because it's essentially a strict liability offence. If he wasn't negligent, they'd still be here and I could still go riding with them. The max sentence is 18 months for the neg driving offence.

We don't have a justice system, we have a legal system. The system is rigged in favour of downplaying the dangers of driving and it's very rare for motorists to suffer any real consequences of anything that happens.

Nothing will bring them back, and no time behind is enough for two lives. Really not sure where that leaves us. Best I can do is to just remember Chris and Geoff.

[queequeg]

Parker found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death. No justice here.

[Mububban]

I am unsurprised at the outcome.

[MichaelB]

I am unsurprised at the outcome.

Sadly, neither am I. There are technicalities involved despite the horrendous outcome. Hopefully, justice will prevail and restore some hope ...

[queequeg]

Final sentencing for Nicholas Parker, who killed two of my cycling club mates



They brought out the extra wet lettuce and he’ll back driving by the end of the year. That’s apparently all the life of two dads with young kids is worth. 3 weeks of full time community service for each life. What a joke.

[MichaelB]

That is just BS turned up to 11.

An absolute insult

[trailgumby]

That's just offensive.

[Mububban]

Sickening

[redsonic]

Quoting the judge:

“This is a truly tragic case,” Judge Deborah Payne told the court on Wednesday.

“(But) I must not let sympathy or emotion sway my verdict.”

Sympathy or emotion for whom? Certainly doesn't look like the victims received any.

[antigee]

Sentencing yesterday for the hit and run killing of Michelle Ruitenbeek on the Nepean Highway in 2019

Moloney wiped away tears and sobbed on Thursday as he was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail.....

In sentencing, Supreme Court Judge Lex Lasry was stunned as to how Moloney was so "oblivious" to the cyclist riding in front of him.

"I frankly find it difficult to understand, you failed to realise you had hit her," Lasry said.
"Ms Ruitenbeek was a serious, competitive and capable cyclist who had done everything to make herself visible."......

Moloney had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving and said he did not know he had hit anyone and instead thought he had hit a pole.

Moloney's legal team had asked for a lengthy community correction order instead of jail time.

Good to see that the guilty plea didn't sway the Judge

https://www.9news.com.au/national/drive ... 6d73f22037

[Mububban]

Just thought he'd hit a pole.....was he sincerely hoping a judge would buy that as a defence? That poor rider

2.5 years jail in exchange for a human life.....nothing will bring the dead back, but still....doesn't quite seem to balance the scales personally

[uart]

Just thought he'd hit a pole.....was he sincerely hoping a judge would buy that as a defence? That poor rider

I just noticed this story by 2AW's Neil Mitchell. I cannot believe that this fool is complaining about the unfair jail sentence for that "poor unfortunate driver" who hit and run and killed Michelle Ruitenbeek. This story really makes me mad!
https://www.9news.com.au/national/neil- ... 585719229c

Judges should decide sentences, not vote-hungry politicians
We've all been there, no matter how carefully we drive, and thank God most of us get away with the fright and nothing else.
So this could be you: a law-abiding, well-respected person of good character, off to jail for 18 months.
For an accident.