A Hillcrest cyclist was killed when he was run over by a truck on the old North Coast road (R102) last Saturday morning.
David Basner, a Hillcrest resident and member of Tri-X Multisport Club, was riding in a group on the R102 when he lost balance around a sharp bend, collided with his teammate and slid across the road.
He slid into the path of an oncoming truck, suffering extensive injuries. Despite the efforts of paramedics to resuscitate him over 45 minutes, he died on the scene.
The other cyclist only suffered minor injuries from the fall itself and was treated on the scene.
Fellow cyclist and chairman of Tri-X, Terence Mitchell, was present at the scene of the accident said that the loss of their teammate and friend has been life-changing.
“It was an extremely unfortunate accident that will live with us for the rest of our lives,” said Mitchell.
Mitchell was adamant that the accident was in no way the truck driver’s fault.
“The truck driver is completely innocent in this matter, and was extremely traumatised by the crash.”
Another eye-witness, cyclist Kim Watchurst, said emergency services took no more than 20 minutes to arrive on scene after the accident was reported.
“One passer-by at the scene happened to be a trauma nurse, so she stopped to help out,” said Watchurst.
“We were all riding in a group, and when one cyclist fell around the sharp bend, he knocked a second cyclist off his bike and slid into an oncoming truck, which could do nothing to avoid hitting the men,” said Watchurst.
“The truck driver was in no way at fault – he was not speeding and stayed in the correct lane. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and was in absolute disbelief at what had just happened.”
Cycling is a sport which has seen a major growth in popularity in recent years. Sadly, according to the Automobile Association (AA), this increase in the number of cyclists has also led to an increase in the number of fatalities on the road.
“In an average year, at least 40% of all fatalities and injuries come from pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists,” said AA managing director Karen Bryden, who highlighted South Africa’s frighteningly high road fatality rate.
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