Cyclist killed by lorry as she ‘ listened to music on headphones’
A CYCLIST thought to have been listening to music on her mobile phone was killed when she tried to avoid a lorry and fell on to the road.
Emily Norton, 38, had earphones in when she entered a roundabout without looking right, a coroner heard.
It is believed the mother of one, who was not wearing a helmet, panicked as she came close to the nearside of the HGV and wobbled, causing her to fall and break her skull and spinal cord. She died instantly.
The lorry driver, who did not stop, said he had not heard or seen the cyclist, the inquest was told.
Miss Norton, a New Zealand-born hairdresser, had taken up cycling two years earlier and regularly rode before work near her home in How- den, East Yorkshire. Her brother Hans Hargroves said in a written statement to the inquest that she had normally listened to music and used a cycling app on her phone.
He added: ‘I cannot understand why she did not wear [her helmet] that day. We later found it in the house. She was a stickler for safety.’
Coroner Paul Marks ruled that listening to music could have been a distraction and contributed to Miss Norton’s misjudgment. Cyclists are banned from wearing headphones in competitive events, but they are not illegal on roads in the UK.
The accident took place on June 23 at about 7.40am. Miss Norton was seen going on to the roundabout at speed as she rode at the side of the lorry – but then wobbled as the road began to narrow. Driver Alexander Lamb of Featherstone, West Yorkshire, told Hull coroner’s court: ‘As I approached the roundabout, I paused to look for traffic to the right. As I went I saw nothing. I checked my mirrors.
‘The first I knew about it was when the police called me … I couldn’t believe it happened. I didn’t hear anything, feel anything or see anything. If I had seen anything I would have stopped and tried to help.’
Witness Martin Ward said: ‘From what I saw she did not appear to look left or right as she entered the roundabout. The cyclist kept in a straight line … I saw the cyclist lift in the air and go on to the verge.’ PC Sally Acomb said a full investigation had taken place and Mr Lamb was not facing charges. Police discovered Miss Norton’s bicycle had a defective front brake. Her earphones were found at the scene.
The coroner said: ‘It seems likely when she realised she would come into conflict with the lorry she made some input to the steering and activated the brakes.’
Recording an accident verdict, he offered his condolences to Miss Norton’s family including her daughter Isabelle, 16, and added: ‘I cannot determine if she was on her iPhone listening at the time, but if she had been, it could have contributed to the cause of the accident.’