Seven figure settlement for cyclist trapped under lorry
During today’s approval hearing in Mary Bowers v Peter Beiu at the Queen’s Bench Division, an undisclosed settlement was agreed which will pay for Mary’s lifelong care, rehabilitation and support.
Mary Bowers, 31 and a journalist at the Times, suffered devastating injures while cycling to work in November 2011 when she was knocked off her bike by the driver of a four-tonne lorry and became trapped under its wheels. Previously, the driver admitted in court that he was not paying adequate attention as he was talking into his hands-free mobile phone when he struck Bowers. He also admitted to failing to apply his handbrake when he left the truck to attend to Bowers, causing the vehicle to slip further forward over her.
Her accident was part of the motivation for the Times newspaper’s 'Cities Fit for Cycling' campaign supported by elite athletes Sir Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton and Bradley Wiggins, calling for an urgent review of road safety measures to protect cyclists on Britain’s roads, which led to Parliament debate on the dangers faced by cyclists.
Robert Glancy QC and Richard Cartwright represented the claimant.
