‘Split second timing’ led to cyclist being killed by taxi

A CYCLIST who fell onto the road as he dismounted his bicycle died after being struck by a passing taxi in Dublin. Paul Hannon, 40, a solicitor working at the Central Bank from Castleknock, may have stopped to fix his bike chain, an inquest heard.

Described as ‘a wonderful son, brother and colleague’, Mr Hannon died after he sustained chest injuries in what the coroner described as a tragedy that was down to ‘split second timing.’

The accident happened at 1am on March 24, 2017, at the junction of Bull Alley and Patrick Street in Dublin 8.

Mr Hannon had organised a surprise party for a colleague and was cycling home. He cycled west along Bull Alley where CCTV footage captured his last movements.

He reached the central median on Patrick Street near Christchurch where he stopped and began to dismount but fell backwards.

Public Service Vehicle Inspector Garda Edward Davin examined the bicycle and found it was not damaged in the incident but the chain was derailed. ‘Mr Hannon lost his balance as he was dismounting his bicycle and fell out into the line of traffic. There was nothing he could do to stop his fall,’ he said.

The garda noted a hesitation in the dismount possibly caused by an item of clothing catching on the bike but he said this was speculation.

Mr Hannon was struck by a passing taxi fractions of a second later.

‘I didn’t see where this person came from. I passed the traffic lights. I heard a bang,’ taxi driver Anthony Olagide said. His three passengers were doctors who tended to the injured man.

Emergency services rushed Mr Hannon to St James’s Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

A post-mortem gave the cause of death as blood loss due to extensive lung injuries due to a collision with a car.

The jury returned a verdict of accidental death.

‘He was a wonderful son, brother, friend and colleague,’ Mr Hannon’s brother Phillip Hannon said. ‘He is a tremendous loss. He left his mark on this city, country and on this planet.’