26 March 2009
COMMUNITY campaigner Lisa Pontecorvo died after being crushed under
the wheels of a cement lorry – after a safety mirror that might have
saved her had been removed.
The driver has been charged with causing death by careless driving.
Last
September Ms Pontecorvo, 64, was wheeling her bicycle in front of a
stationary cement mixer in Holloway Road, Holloway, when the lorry
moved off – crushing her to death.
The driver had been unable to
see the diminutive Ms Pontecorvo, of Thornhill Square, Islington, as
she was below the level of his windscreen.
But an inquest into
her death at St Pancras Coroner’s Court on Monday heard that a week
before the accident, the mirror that would have alerted the driver to
Ms Pontecorvo’s presence had been removed.
Now it has been revealed that the Crown Prosecution Service has decided to charge the man, with a trial date yet to be fixed.
Detective
Sergeant David Hindmarsh, of the police collision investigation unit,
said: "The vehicle should have had a close proximity mirror fitted but
it was not. The mirror was damaged on the Thursday [before the tragedy]
and was removed by the driver. He did nothing about it. The summons
will have been issued by now. I would imagine it will go to Crown
Court."
Coroner Dr Andrew Reid explained how the mirror, which
should have been over the windscreen facing downwards, could have saved
Ms Pontecorvo’s life. He said: "It is a mirror to give the driver a
view of people who do not come up to the level of the window. I am
obliged to adjourn the inquest. When the prosecution is concluded I
will make a decision to resume. I have taken sufficient evidence that
the cause of death was multiple injuries."
Friends of Ms
Pontecorvo were outraged to hear of the developments. Emily Thornberry,
MP for Islington South and Finsbury, knew Ms Pontecorvo well and has
previously campaigned for lorries to have more mirrors. She said: "I am
totally shocked and appalled. It is the most dreadful waste of life. I
am almost speechless to hear that a lorry has been going around London
streets without a mirror required by law."
Councillor Rupert
Perry was another long-standing colleague of Ms Pontecorvo. He said:
"This shows Lisa died a totally unnecessary death. It is all very well
putting notices on the trucks saying ‘cyclists beware’, but if it was
not properly equipped it is a very bad reflection on the owners of the
truck."
The lorry, which was on the way from the Olympic site in east London, was owned by contractors Hanson.
Ms
Pontecorvo is the second cyclist to die in the Islington area after an
acident involving a Hanson cement mixer in recent years. Emma Foa died
in Camley Street, King’s Cross, in December 2006.
A spokesman
for the company said the truck was operated by a franchisee, adding:
"We have very clear health and safety regulations for trucks which we
expect drivers to adhere to. That includes these mirrors.
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