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Careless driver who left cyclist in coma is roads police officer with the Met

Was handed £485 fine and seven points

A motorist who left a cyclist in a coma after pulling out onto a roundabout without looking works for the Metropolitan Police attached to its Roads and Transport Policing Command. The victim, Louise Callaghan, says she is “horrified” that he is policing motorists.

Get Surrey reports that on June 8, 2018, Callaghan was cycling with her partner in Addlestone when PC Matthew McGahan pulled onto the roundabout at St Peter's Way, Chertsey Road and Woburn Hill and hit her.

Callaghan was left in a medically-induced coma for four days and suffered a brain bleed, a fractured skull and breaks to her collarbone, scapula, elbow and pelvis.

Subsequent surgeries have left her with nerve damage and she says she hasn’t left the house in a month apart for hospital appointments.

McGahan admitted careless driving earlier this month. He was fined £485 and had seven points placed on his licence.

"I'm cross his licence hasn't been revoked," said Callaghan. "I'm really surprised he hasn't got in contact to apologise. I actually don't think he realises how much damage he's done."

She said she did not want McGahan to lose his job, but would like him to be retrained and to be aware of the "full extent of my suffering and be genuinely sorry".

A spokesman for Metropolitan Police said that McGahan is attached to its Roads and Transport Policing Command.

"He pleaded guilty to careless driving and was awarded seven penalty points and handed a fine. The Directorate of Professional Standards will pursue misconduct proceedings."

The spokesman said that he had been placed on "restricted duties" but didn’t comment further.

"I'm quite horrified that someone who didn't look while he was joining a roundabout is policing motorists," said Callaghan. "It doesn't really reflect well on them."

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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16 comments

Avatar
anarchy | 5 years ago
0 likes

I've said this before, but it's worth repeating:

oink oink oink oink oink oink oink oink oink oink 

Avatar
Mark_1973_ | 5 years ago
2 likes

Probably the same idiot officer that sat on his motorbike and watched a lorry turn left on me on the cycle super-highway on Friday and told me I was undertaking!

Avatar
Simon E | 5 years ago
5 likes

The police failing to protect victims of crime? Nothing new there.

OTOH if it a boy racer had done the same to an off-duty officer you can bet the perp would most likely have been roughed up and spent some time sightseeing the inside of a prison.

Avatar
hairyderriere | 5 years ago
4 likes

Sometimes, it just feels like a damn free-for-all.

It's bizarre and galling that it feels almost incidental that this driver had responsibility for cyclists, professionally. And utterly indicative that we don't take the safety of cyclists seriously in this country - nor seem likely to any time soon.

To follow Lord [sic] Winston's example, one should swan around the country is a cloud of  righteous indigantion, dispatching people and things we don't like with the waft of our palm. Because that solves everything, doesn't it?

Avatar
Projectcyclingf... | 5 years ago
1 like

I don't expect the nutty professor (Robert Winston - no longer fit to be a Lord let alone a professor) to criticise this DANGEROUS COP or OTHER MOTORISTS USING THEIR VEHICLES AS BATTERING RAMS TO COMMIT DEADLY ASSAULTS ON CYCLISTS as he clearly is an anti-cylist fascist intent on inciting hatred and rage against cyclists and he needs locking up. It's disgusting how seriously they choose to take antisemitic but have callous regard for safety of vulnerable cyclists.

Avatar
zero_trooper | 5 years ago
2 likes

‘Roads Policing and Transport Command’

I’m sure that covers a multitude of sins  1

Avatar
hawkinspeter | 5 years ago
13 likes

It seems ludicrous to have a police officer that drives and is responsible for policing motorists - a clear conflict of interest.

Additionally, it is well known that humans are invariably fallible and subject to any number of known biases.

So, what we need is some non-human enforcement officer that doesn't drive.

Gentlemen, I present to you...

 

Avatar
Hirsute | 5 years ago
8 likes

Meanwhile one incident of blue badge fraud cost a £1000 fine

https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/17525946.colchester-family-fined-300...

 

I don't suppose it is worth asking if he had done this on his test if it would have been an instant fail.

Avatar
ironmancole | 5 years ago
13 likes

Can we expect Lord Winston to be outraged at this typical outcome and use his power to bring a private members bill against actual violence like this?

Don't hold your breath.

As ever the message is firmly forced down your throat that it's ok to maim and kill as long as you do it accidentally using a car.

As ever all we'll do as a seemingly immobile group incapable of organising ourselves into an effective campaigning force is sigh, shake our heads and hope Chris Boardman will make it all better for us.

Avatar
brooksby replied to ironmancole | 5 years ago
11 likes

ironmancole wrote:

Can we expect Lord Winston to be outraged at this typical outcome and use his power to bring a private members bill against actual violence like this?

Yup - police officers and motor vehicles should definitely have insurance and some form of registration so nothing like this ever happens again.  Er.  Oh, wait a minute...

Avatar
ktache | 5 years ago
18 likes

Words...

Fail...

Me...

 

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to ktache | 5 years ago
2 likes

ktache wrote:

Words...

Fail...

Me...

Why?  Are you actually surprised? 

Avatar
brooksby replied to Legs_Eleven_Worcester | 5 years ago
5 likes

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

ktache wrote:

Words...

Fail...

Me...

Why?  Are you actually surprised? 

I think its more that every time we think the world isn't as bad as it appears to be, turns out it really is.

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
0 likes

brooksby wrote:

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

ktache wrote:

Words...

Fail...

Me...

Why?  Are you actually surprised? 

I think its more that every time we think the world isn't as bad as it appears to be, turns out it really is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-3Xd0IZwk

Avatar
brooksby replied to Legs_Eleven_Worcester | 5 years ago
0 likes

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

brooksby wrote:

Legs_Eleven_Worcester wrote:

ktache wrote:

Words...

Fail...

Me...

Why?  Are you actually surprised? 

I think its more that every time we think the world isn't as bad as it appears to be, turns out it really is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ib-3Xd0IZwk

Ah: Leon, ne c'est pas. Excellent film.

Avatar
Mungecrundle replied to ktache | 5 years ago
4 likes
ktache wrote:

Words...

Fail...

Me...

 

No, you found the 3 perfect words.

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