Tragic: August Atkinson died in April 2014
A mother, whose daughter died after crashing her bicycle at the bottom of a steep road, has hit out at an inquest verdict of ‘accidental death’ claiming that the student died as a result of faulty brakes.
August Atkinson, 22, shouted ‘my brakes have gone’ to her friend before reaching speeds of up to 40mph and fatally crashing into a drystone wall in the Derbyshire Peak District.
The tragedy happened at the bottom of Winnats Pass – one of the UK’s steepest roads – an inquest heard.
Ms Atkinson was pronounced dead at the scene on April 12, 2014 – just a month before she was due to complete her veterinary degree at Bristol University.
Coroner Peter Nieto recorded a conclusion of accidental death after police found there were ‘no significant issues’ with the brakes.
But Ms Atkinson’s mother Elizabeth Barber-Atkinson, 57, has said she may challenge the verdict.
She said: ‘I feel the police evidence didn’t satisfactorily answer what may have gone wrong on the day in relation to August’s bike. We’re not satisfied with the outcome of the inquest.’
In his conclusion Mr Nieto said: ‘August’s family considers that the model of brake calipers fitted to her bike were faulty in that they could have spontaneously and unintentionally opened in which case the brake blocks would not make contact with the wheel rims.
‘They also consider that even if the safety levers on the calipers were just 3mm from the closed position the brakes would be ineffective.
‘On the balance of probabilities, the court does not find that August’s brakes were ineffective or not working due to a fault with her brake calipers because the police and vehicle examiner observed the callipers to be in the closed position when the bike was examined after the crash.’
Mrs Barber-Atkinson said she would consider seeking legal advice about challenging the decision – which she branded as ‘totally unacceptable’ in court.
She had sent the coroner documents which included a statement from Andrew Elston, a qualified bike mechanic who works at Langsett Cycles in Sheffield.
He said he had to replace identical brakes to those on Ms Atkinson’s bike after another rider reported problems.
Mrs Barber-Atkinson also highlighted that cyclists had used online forums and blogs to raise concerns about the same type of brakes.
Giving evidence at Chesterfield coroners’ court during the inquest, Ms Atkinson’s friend Kieran Patel said she had owned a Genesis Equilibrium bike for eight months and had ‘only been out on it a few times’.
Ms Atkinson died just a month before she was due to complete her veterinary degree at Bristol University
The pair decided to embark on a 25-mile ride and before setting off, Mr Patel and Ms Atkinson’s father used hand pumps to inflate the tyres on her bike’.
Ms Atkinson later noticed a problem with the front brake but this ‘corrected’, according to Mr Patel.
Mr Patel said it was the first time they had cycled on Winnats Pass.
Mr Patel said: ‘The wind took it out of us – we were tired. August complained her legs were cramping.
‘I guess we had a little bit of apprehension about going down Winnats Pass – but nothing major.
‘Going down I was cycling in front – I was constantly using my brakes on and off. August was behind me, coming down steadily – my speedometer said I was going at about 20mph.
‘Then, August came past me on the right-hand side – she was getting faster; she must have been travelling at 30 to 40mph.
‘She said “my brakes have gone”. ‘She was freewheeling, she couldn’t stop.’
The tragedy happened at the bottom of Winnats Pass – one of the UK’s steepest roads
DC Andrew Prince, of Derbyshire Constabulary’s collision investigation unit, concluded there were ‘no significant issues’ with the brakes but said the rear tyre was ‘significantly under-inflated’.
Trevor Jones, a vehicle examiner with the force, added: ‘I do believe the rear tyre wasn’t sufficiently inflated at the time of the incident.
‘But my examination was made two to three days afterwards so it’s possible there was some pressure loss in that time.’
Collision investigator PC Ian Phillips said: ‘We can never pinpoint what caused August to lose control. There are multiple issues.
‘Winnats Pass is one of the steepest roads in the UK. She may have been affected by tiredness. The brakes may have overheated, increasing her stopping distance.
‘The under-inflated tyre may have affected her ability to control the bike. Something affected her ability to bring the bike to a safe speed.
‘We don’t know exactly what happened.’