‘Loving’ mum killed after being knocked off bike by HGV driver who didn’t notice

The family of a popular mum have paid tribute to her after she was fatally knocked off her bike by an HGV.

Margaret ‘Maggie’ Roundill, 56, from Hull, had pulled up next to the large 18-tonne lorry on her pushbike at around 9.30am on February 1 last year.

The lorry, which was stopped in traffic but was heading straight across a junction, clipped Maggie’s bike which knocked her and sent her crashing to the ground.

The mum-of-two suffered several internal injuries from the fall, and despite surgery, her organs failed and she died nine days later in Hull Royal Infirmary, Hull Coroner's Court heard.

Her heartbroken daughter Tanya Hamilton, 37, said: "Mum was the most loving and caring person you could wish to meet. She loved her family and would do anything for them. She enjoyed life and lived it to the full.

"It may be more than a year since Mum’s death but we cannot believe she is no longer with us. While she may no longer be with us she will always remain part of us.

"While the inquest and having to listening to the evidence as to why she died has been upsetting, we are thankful to the coroner for providing us with the many answers we wanted. All we can hope now is that mum’s death reminds all road users of the need to take care at all times."

Maggie worked as a sale assistant at both House of Fraser and Debenhams and was very active and never took public transport in Hull because she enjoyed biking around the city, the inquest was told.

At the time of the collision she was heading to work and was not wearing a hi-vis jacket or helmet, but was wearing work clothes and a bright pink scarf.

A BBC journalist witnessed the collision and stopped her car to go to Maggie’s aid.

She said she spoke to mum-of-two Maggie, who said she had pain in her legs and back.

The journalist told the hearing: "All I was thinking is that when she approached the near side of the vehicle was that when she set off, she was going to go under the vehicle.

"But she didn’t, it was as if she was hit by the second lot of wheels and it pushed her away to the left."

She stopped police officers and ambulance crews near the scene after the emergency services had been passing the busy junction at the time.

Maggie was taken to hospital with multiple injuries to her abdomen and needed operations after suffering internal bleeding from bone fragments in her pelvis.

However, her condition did not improve and she died at 9.15pm on February 10.

Consultant histopathologist Dr Justin Cooke ruled the medical cause of death as organ failure caused by extensive abdominal injuries following a road traffic collision.

The driver of the red Volvo lorry, which had just dropped off building supplies, was only alerted of the accident when he was back at his depot in Rotherham, the inquest was told on Tuesday.

Giving evidence, he told the hearing: “The first thing I knew about it was when my boss asked me if I had collided with a cyclist in Hull and I knew nothing about it.

"I did my checks on my mirrors before I set off and I noticed that some Luton vans had got extremely close to my mirrors on my off side. It’s a very busy junction, but I know it well, I’ve driven down it a lot."

The HGV driver had driven lorries since 1989 and said a camera, situated on the side of his HGV, would only come on alerting him to what is at eye-level when he put his indicator on.

From his cab, he had six mirrors to use when spotting hazards in the road.

A forensic road traffic collision expert Robert Crispin said there would have been a three second opportunity for the driver to see Maggie.

He said: "The lorry had passed Maggie on her bike at around two minutes and 45 seconds before the collision.

"As the cyclist then approached, the driver would have had a three second window to look in one of his six mirrors and see her.

"Because of her close proximity to the large vehicle, she had undertaken the vehicle and leaving the safety of her cycling lane, the driver did not really have a good view of her."

Solicitor Jonathan Nally, who was acting on behalf of the family, said that the driver would have probably been aware of the cyclist approaching after overtaking her once already.

However, Mr Crispin replied: “This is a very busy junction, he has his gears to check, looking at his dashboard, while checking his mirrors and then finally look through the windscreen in the direction he is going before he sets off.”

Stephen Youngson from Humberside Police told the hearing on Tuesday that no charges were ever brought against the driver.

He said: "No charges were ever brought in the case after being referred to the deputy chief crime prosecution service officer Elizabeth Jenkins.

"After reviewing the evidence it was decided there was no criminal offence that had occurred and it was decided Mrs Roundill’s death was just a sad and tragic accident."

Area Coroner Rosemary Baxter concluded the death of Maggie was as a result of road traffic collision.

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