Experts’ conflicting evidence over ability to see cyclist
THE trial of two motorists accused of causing the death of a cyclist have heard conflicting expert evidence about how easy the rider was to see in the seconds before the fatal crash.
Paul James was killed when he was knocked from his bike by a car which approached him from behind, and then run over by the following vehicle, which also dragged him along the road.
Lowri Ruth Powell, who was driving the first vehicle, and
Christopher Allan Jones – who was at the wheel of the second – are accused of causing the 61-year-old’s death by careless driving.
The pair deny the charges, and are on trial at Swansea Crown Court.
The fatal crash happened around 5.30pm on April 11 last year on the A487 between Bow Street and Aberystwyth as Mr James cycled up a rise in the road on the approach to the university town.
Day two of the pair’s trial heard conflicting evidence about how visible Mr James would have been to other road users at the time of the crash given the lighting conditions, his clothing, and the nature of the country road involved.
Professor Graham Edgar, an expert in perception and psychopysics, told the jury that in his view Powell in her Ford Galaxy would have had a “line of sight” of more than 300 metres to the cyclist ahead of her on the road. He said given all the factors in the case, including the visibility of Mr James’ hi-vis jacket against the background of foliage at the roadside, he could see “no reason” why the cyclist would not be visible – even allowing for glare from the low sun.
However, that evidence was contracted by another expert, accident reconstruction consultant Victoria Eyers. She told the jury that in her opinion Mr James’ position on the side of the road in the shadow of trees and foliage would have made him hard to spot given the brightness of the sun which was shining directly towards the oncoming drivers – even allowing for his hi-vis top.
Miss Eyers told the court that from her calculations Mr James would only have become visible to Powell when she was some 13 metres behind him. She said Powell would have had to have been travelling at 15mph for her to stop in that distance but the actual estimated speed of the Galaxy was around 50mph.
Powell and Jones, each deny causing death by careless driving.
The trial continues.