Cyclist died after park pedestrian collision

A CYCLIST died of his injuries after he collided with a pedestrian on the cycle path in Dublin’s Phoenix Park, an inquest has heard.

The hearing was also told the cyclist’s decision to carry an organ donor card saved five lives.

The death of former engineer Bernard Tully, 59, is believed to be the first fatality of its kind in the country. The father of six, of Castleknock, Dublin, lived next to the park, and left home to go cycling around 8pm on May 2, 2016.

‘He would cycle most days in the park,’ his wife Joan Curry told Dublin Coroner’s Court. ‘He had worn a helmet in the past but more recently had taken to not wearing it. He was wearing a highvisibility jacket.’

The collision occurred at 8.50pm on a cycle path off Chesterfield Avenue, the inquest heard. Witness Derek Brennan was out walking with his wife and heard a bang. ‘I saw someone in a yellow jacket projected into the air,’ he said.

He also saw another man lying injured. Mr Tully was pronounced dead two days later, on May 4, at Beaumont Hospital. The cause of death was head injuries due to a cycling collision.

The other man involved in the collision, a software engineer, was crossing the cycle lane from the pedestrian lane in order to exit the park. ‘I don’t remember a collision, the only memory I have is lying on the ground,’ he said.

Collisions between cyclists and pedestrians in the Phoenix Park are common, Detective Inspector Peter Hayde told the court. Gardaí have recommended that the cycle and pedestrian paths be swapped in the interest of public safety.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, the jury recommended that the Office of Public Works and the Road Safety Authority be made aware of the issues raised.

After the inquest, Mr Tully’s wife described him as ‘a wonderful person... a loving father’.