Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Back to news
news
Crime & Legal
In wake of Alliston verdict, Wiltshire man calls for police to re-investigate 2016 cycling incident that resulted in his wife's deathbroken bike.jpg

In wake of Alliston verdict, Wiltshire man calls for police to re-investigate 2016 cycling incident that resulted in his wife's death

Agrees with Kim Briggs’ husband that dangerous cycling laws should be brought up to date
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Aug 26, 2017 12:30
11

Following the prosecution of London cyclist Charlie Alliston, the husband of a woman killed in a 2016 cycling incident in Pewsey in Wiltshire is calling for police to reinvestigate the collision.

The Gazette and Herald reports that Diane Walker was struck by a cyclist on Pewsey High Street on May 13, 2016. She was airlifted to the Great Western Hospital and died two days later but no charges were brought against the cyclist.

A jury at the Old Bailey this week found Alliston guilty of a charge of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving under section 35 of the Offences Against The Person Act 1861 after he hit and killed Kim Briggs.

Briggs’ husband, Matthew, has called for the law regarding dangerous cycling to be brought up to date.

Edward Walker now wants his wife’s case to be reopened and investigated.

He said: “The police said that under the 1947 Road Traffic Act there wasn’t anything they could do in an accident between a cyclist and a pedestrian.

“At the time of my wife’s death I went to our MP Claire Perry and said that the 1947 act is 70 years old and that cycling accidents should be included in the Act. This is the same argument the person in London is going down in relation to the 1861 Offences Against the Person Act.

“Wiltshire Police don’t seem to have taken this or the 1991 Road Traffic Act into consideration. We will see what happens.”

Wiltshire
cyclist fatality
Diane Walker
Edward Walker
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

Add new comment

11 comments

Avatar
alansmurphy | 7 years ago
4 likes

And you think that would happen? Why hasn't EVERY incident involving a pedestrian being killed now seen family members with pitchforks? Surely there's another few hundred deaths that need looking at before this one case from last year. Again, it's a witch hunt!

Avatar
Gus T | 7 years ago
2 likes

I fully support the husband in this case as it would set a precedent and require the Police to fully investigate every cyclists death arising from being hit by a car that they had previously written off as "just an unfortunate accident" after all what's good for the goose..............

Avatar
alansmurphy | 7 years ago
2 likes

Have you been mis-sold PPI?

Avatar
itboffin | 7 years ago
3 likes

I belong to the same club as the cyclist involved in the Pewsey accident, he wasnt riding dangerously or fast it was a very unfortunate freak accident with a terrible outcome. I agree that the law should be updated and it should also include jaywalking not that im saying that was the case in either of these recent cases, but it is epidemic in London to the point where pedestrians are referred to as ipeds.

Everyone on the roads has a responsibility to look out for others.

Avatar
brooksby replied to itboffin | 7 years ago
4 likes

itboffin wrote:

I belong to the same club as the cyclist involved in the Pewsey accident, he wasnt riding dangerously or fast it was a very unfortunate freak accident with a terrible outcome. I agree that the law should be updated and it should also include jaywalking not that im saying that was the case in either of these recent cases, but it is epidemic in London to the point where pedestrians are referred to as ipeds. Everyone on the roads has a responsibility to look out for others.

Jaywalking rules would be a very, very bad idea. Google the American bloke in a wheelchair  trying to cross the road, and getting done for jaywalking.

Avatar
hawkinspeter replied to brooksby | 7 years ago
2 likes

brooksby wrote:

itboffin wrote:

I belong to the same club as the cyclist involved in the Pewsey accident, he wasnt riding dangerously or fast it was a very unfortunate freak accident with a terrible outcome. I agree that the law should be updated and it should also include jaywalking not that im saying that was the case in either of these recent cases, but it is epidemic in London to the point where pedestrians are referred to as ipeds. Everyone on the roads has a responsibility to look out for others.

Jaywalking rules would be a very, very bad idea. Google the American bloke in a wheelchair  trying to cross the road, and getting done for jaywalking.

How about jaywalking whilst staring at a phone?

Avatar
brooksby replied to hawkinspeter | 7 years ago
3 likes

hawkinspeter wrote:

brooksby wrote:

itboffin wrote:

I belong to the same club as the cyclist involved in the Pewsey accident, he wasnt riding dangerously or fast it was a very unfortunate freak accident with a terrible outcome. I agree that the law should be updated and it should also include jaywalking not that im saying that was the case in either of these recent cases, but it is epidemic in London to the point where pedestrians are referred to as ipeds. Everyone on the roads has a responsibility to look out for others.

Jaywalking rules would be a very, very bad idea. Google the American bloke in a wheelchair  trying to cross the road, and getting done for jaywalking.

How about jaywalking whilst staring at a phone?

I'd be quite happy to ban walking *at all* while staring at a phone! 3

Avatar
srchar | 7 years ago
7 likes

Interesting that the report says she was "struck by a cyclist" whereas this report on the same website: http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/1185583.Man_seriously_injured_in_... describes a man being "struck by a car" rather than by a motorist.

Avatar
brooksby replied to srchar | 7 years ago
1 like

srchar wrote:

Interesting that the report says she was "struck by a cyclist" whereas this report on the same website: http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/1185583.Man_seriously_injured_in_... describes a man being "struck by a car" rather than by a motorist.

Wouldnt "struck by a cyclist " mean that the cyclist reached out and struck her? Otherwise, she was struck by a bicycle, surely?

Avatar
ktache | 7 years ago
1 like

Did the cyclist have a front brake?

Avatar
burtthebike | 7 years ago
6 likes

I could find only a single report of this incident, and it does not attribute blame, and it is difficult to see what could poosibly be achieved by re-opening the case.  From this report, it is impossible to tell who did what, but the police investigated at the time and found no case to answer.

http://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/towns/pewseynews/14503456.Traders...

Is this what we have to look forward to for the next six months?  Calls for any collision involving a cyclist in the last ten years to be re-investigated?  I wonder if they'll be doing the same for drivers.

Latest Comments