Lorry boss is killed by own truck VICTIM IGNORED HIS STRICT RULE
THE owner of an HGV firm was killed while cycling by one of his own lorries, an inquest heard.
Jeff Atkinson, 76, was riding on the inside of a wagon, which struck him as it turned out of the haulage firm’s yard.
The driver, Russell Bowe, had checked his side mirrors, but was not aware of his boss’s presence in front of the lorry.
The inquest heard how Mr Atkinson had drummed it into his staff and children that they should never cycle along the near side of an HGV, unless they knew the driver had seen them.
Screams
But Mr Atkinson, who had run J Atkinson and Sons Ltd since 1969, seemingly broke his own rule. He died at the scene from extensive injuries.
Mr Bowe told a coroners’ court he heard “shouting and screaming” and stopped to find he had partially driven over his boss.
Mr Atkinson’s son Philip, also part of the family business, said in a statement: “I do not hold Russell responsible.”
He said he had viewed the company’s CCTV, which had captured the incident, adding: “Personally, I would not have expected to see him where I did.”
Staff member Tony Yates was in a van that was following the lorry and the bicycle up the private road leading from the base to the public road.
He saw Mr Bowe pause at the junction, in York, and Mr
Atkinson cycle up his near side. Mr Yates told North Yorkshire Coroners’ Court: “I thought it was dangerous for him to go down there.”
One of the lorry’s tyres appeared to be under-inflated and he thought Mr Atkinson may have been intending to tell the driver about it.
Police investigator Nigel Varney said Mr Bowe had stopped at the junction and there were no pavements, so he would have no reason to check his front.
Assistant coroner Jonathan Leach concluded Mr Atkinson “made a conscious decision” to do what he did and found he died as a result of a collision.