Svitlana Tereschenko's inquest
Svitlana’s family have expressed their shock that the driver of the vehicle that hit her last November at Bow roundabout will not face criminal prosecution and as members of the local cycling community we share that response.
Having sat through her inquest on 2nd May at Poplar Coroner’s Court we feel that there was sufficient evidence to go to a jury on a charge of causing death by careless driving.
Mr Shergill's own evidence is that during his journey he was on the phone to his father, making travel plans, and that he failed to see Svitlana cycling along the road as he passed her. All the other vehicles’ witnesses saw her. He then saw what he thought was a pedestrian on the pavement but when they ‘disappear’ does not take measures to check their whereabouts in relation to his vehicle before moving off, still talking on his hand-free phone.
The police evidence is that this was Svitlana moving her cycle past the stationary traffic to the lights. She placed her bike in the space of about 8 feet between the front of his lorry and the kerb. Neither Mr Shergill nor other witnesses could say that he was indicating the left turn and it could be that she assumed from his position that he was continuing his journey westward. Tragically this led to the collision that killed her and coroner’s narrative verdict of a traumatic road death.
We are sad that Mr Shergill did not apologise at the inquest to her mother and sister for her death. We hope that he spends the £150 on fitting the ‘blind-spot’ safety mirror that may have saved her life.
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