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Broken bike (CC licensed image by garryknight, www.flickr.com)Family of cyclist killed when he crashed down steps say he wouldn't have died if barriers had been in place
The family of a cyclist who sustained fatal head injuries when he crashed on a set of steps in Norwich have said that he would not have died had safety barriers been in place.
Warren Dowling was on his way home at shortly after midnight on 28 May this year when he crashed on the steps at The Loke after failing to see them, reports BBC News.
Besides serious head injuries, he also went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest at Norwich Coroner’s Court heard that the 32-year-old had a blood alcohol limit of 216mg per 100ml, more than two and have times above the drink-drive limit of 80mg per 100ml.
But his father, Patrick Dowling, insisted his son would not have cycled while drunk. He also said that while The Loke is a pedestrian byway, he had been informed that it is regularly used by local cyclists.
The inquest heard that at the time of the fatal incident, the path was poorly lit and overgrown, and the steps would not have been visible as Mr Dowling approached them.
His father, Patrick Dowling, said: "My son would be alive today if proper measures had been put in place to identify the steps, like the staggered barriers that are there now," which were installed after Mr Dowling’s death.
Coroner Yvonne Blake, in a narrative verdict, noted that Mr Dowling had not been wearing a cycle helmet and had been drinking, and said that his cause of death was due to multiple traumatic head injuries.
She has told Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council were instructed by the coroner to confirm whether The Loke is signed as a cycleway from nearby Whistlefish Court, and whether another pathway in Mile Cross has similar steps lacking staggered barriers "to stop anyone from catapulting down there too."
While she acknowledged that local authorities were unable to "babysit everyone on a bike or urge them to slow down and wear a helmet", she said it was "not within the bounds of possibility that this could happen again."
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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12 comments
People do stupid stuff and die every day. Riding a bike doesn't make you any less worthy of the Darwin Awards.
If it was a driver that had driver into a canal or something with that amount of alcohol in the their system there would be no sympathy. Likewise if you decided to cut a tree down pissed and got crushed.
Installing barrier after the fact of fuckwittery is simply one of the kneejerk hammer and walnut type actions. One person does something stupid that will probably never be repeated.....lets idiot proof it just in case.
Surely any decent human being would be able to express sympathy and empathy for a person and their family, even if they were at fault in their accidentl death.
First of all, your a twat.
The ally way down the Loke was not only poorly maintained but also had no warnings regarding steps ahead. The light leading to the steps were also shut off as they were shining through windows of properties in whistlefish court
this meant it would have been impossible for any person that was sober would not have seen the hazardous steps in time
the steps are also not noted on Google maps as my brother googled his way and the steps were not notified on Google when he mapped his way home
intoxicated or not he had no chance!
hence why others have had serious accidents in the same loacation over the years just not published for common knowledge
Condolences to the friends and family of Mr Dowling on this awful event.
The BBC story says he was cycling at the time of the accident, his Father says that he wouldn't have been, so presumably no eyewitness to actual events as he tried to negotiate the steps. Maybe he was simply walking the bike along the passageway and fell. It seems he was a local familiar with the path and presumably the hazards along the way.
Better lighting and barriers may well have made a difference. The fact that some have now been fitted would indicate that the council have been given advice to that effect. However, it is very difficult to ignore the involvement of alcohol and significant amounts if the blood test results are relevant. I understand the emotional and oft times financial imperitive to find some 3rd party accountable when a tragedy occurs, but sometimes there has to be a balance of personal responsibility.
Bit harsh to say "I have no sympathy". I'm pretty sure I and many others on this forum have only avoided injury whilst intoxicated at some point by statistical good luck.
Sorry for family but no sympathy for the rider. Many of us ride with beer inside us. We soon learn that its not a good diea. Most of us survive. Just a sad family not accepting their sons stupidity.
Really? No sympathy for a violent death? Seems to me it was down to bad luck as much as anything else. As you say, most survive. To actually die is unlucky, a concequence of the precise nature of the impact, I suppose.
I suppose I'm being monomaniacal, but surely if a pedestrian byway is being used regularly by cyclists that suggests a lack of decent safe alternative routes? Maybe that's more the point than needing barriers on the steps?
(Edit - have to agree that it's a bit of a stretch to claim the absence of barriers was a heinous oversight...but I bet many, many people have had similar kinds of 'accidents' and emerged alive)
He googled his way home which led him this way and no steps are listed. There are also no warning signs notifying people of the steps ahead
The light above the steps were also not working as they shone through people's windows which was also a huge factor
Tjis is why many accidents you never heard of happened at that location and those people were sober
if safety measures were in place he would be alive today
drunk or not
I'm just posting this to save others from frustration. Beware that Google Maps appears to only know a Loke at Cringleford. If you search for Whistlefish Court, then Google Maps labels the Loke as "Dereham Road" as well as the current Dereham Road. This URL:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/The+Loke,+Dereham+Rd,+Norwich+NR5+8QG
gets the right neighbourhood, but if you change to Street View, "The Loke" immediately reverts to "Dereham Road". None of which has made clearer exactly where the steps or the actual Loke are. There is a useful picture of the steps on the BBC website. This seems to be a tragedy of alcohol impaired judgement and poor lights. There but for the grace of God go road.cc riders too? I can also imagine a similar crash and outcome with the barriers in place.
I think that only one of you is avoiding the truth.
No, that's it, you've gone and blown what little credibility that you had before...
Cycling drunk on a pedestrian path is the real problem here, not the lack of barriers.
why have they installed barriers following the death then? Obviousley this was a contributing factor or they wouldn't have done it.
Was it foreseeable that someone could have had an accident like this, regardless of being drunk, inattentive, path having poor lighting, being overgrown?
I'm not saying the poor chap is blameless and cannot be held free of accountability for his accident, but there are some cold hearted posters on here.
I'm not sure what we are supposed to glean from this other than cycling whilst intoxicated leads to poor decision making.