Cycling club veteran killed by van driver who 'failed to stop at give way line', court told

A veteran of a London cycling club was killed by a van driver who failed to drive with due care and attention and failed to stop at a give way sign, a court heard on Tuesday.

75-year-old Frank Cubis, a member of Kingston Phoenix, died in July 2016, just over a month after he had been hit at a junction by a Ford Transit van driven by 47-year-old William Cottrell.

The Evening Standard (opens in new tab) reports how Isleworth Crown Court heard that Cottrell, who denies causing death by careless driving, had failed to stop at a give way line at the junction between Northfields Avenue and Salisbury Road in Ealing, west London, on May 25, 2016.

Cottrell is accused of driving into Mr Cubis from behind at the junction, with Mr Cubis being dragged a short distance under the van while his feet were still strapped into the pedals of his fixed-wheel bike.

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The court heard how Cottrell stopped after hearing a noise at the back of his van, calling the emergency services. Mr Cubis was placed into an induced coma in hospital, but suffered severe brain injuries and died on July 5.

"Had Mr Cottrell driven to the standard expected of a competent and careful driver he would have seen Mr Cubis and he would be alive today and riding his bike," Catherine Pattison, prosecuting told the court.

Frank Cubis had been cycling since the 1960s, racking up more than 440,000 miles, including setting the Land's End-London tricycle record in 1974 with a time of 14-48-22.

Although he stopped competing in 2004, Cubis still rode 200 miles per week at the time of the crash, and had turned his attention to time-keeping, officiating in more than 40 events each year in London and the south-east.

The trial continues.