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Cycle centre at Center Parcs (credit: Center Parcs)Accidental death verdict for cyclist who fell from bike at Center Parcs
A man fell from a rental bicycle while going downhill on a wet evening at Center Parcs’ Longleat Forest site, in Warminster and suffered fatal head injuries, with the coroner’s inquest finding his death “accidental” and the site director saying that it was “strongly recommended” for visitors to wear helmets when cycling.
Kieran Killeen-McGuirk was at the holiday village with his family, celebrating his wife’s 50th birthday. The 53-year-old headed out on a rental bike on Wednesday evening, but took a tumble as he was riding down a steep, wet hill after a meal and two drinks.
His step-daughter, Ms Price said: “It was wet as it had been raining. He was travelling at a moderate speed. Just over halfway down the hill all of a sudden his bike came out from underneath him.”
Ms Price recounted her dad’s face hit the floor first and he then rolled over twice. When she went over, he was already unconscious and lying in a pool of blood, reported the Salisbury Journal.
Sarah Deverill, the site's Village Director, told the coroner’s court that while they “strongly recommend” helmets are worn by guests, it is “not compulsory” because it is not a legal requirement in the Highway Code.
She said upon booking, guests are recommended to add helmets, as well as advisory information being sent before arrival and “prominent” signage displayed in bike sheds and across the park, with “buckets” of helmets in bike sheds.
Ms Deverill told the hearing the incident took place on a “no cycling hill” — which is labelled as such because of the hill's “steep gradient”.
However, Mrs Killeen-McGuirk told the hearing they had been to Center Parcs on “numerous occasions” and “never, ever” been offered a helmet. She said: “We slowly cycled back, it was starting to get dark. And then I saw people running towards an incident.
“I could see him lying on the floor, a stream of blood forming, running down the hill. I knew within minutes my husband was dying in front of me.
“He'd ridden a bike since he was a tot and was as fit as a fiddle — I find it very difficult to believe he could have fallen.”
> Cyclist dies after falling 90 feet while mountain biking on Peak District moorland
Longleat Forest, one of the five short break holiday villages by Center Parcs in the UK, is known to have a steep topography. However, the bicycles-for-hire is a big attraction for Center Parcs' sites, with it saying on its website: “With a car-light environment, cycling through our villages is a wonderful way to explore our glorious woodland and get to your next activity.
“At the Cycle Centre our knowledgeable staff will make sure you get exactly the right equipment for your height, age and ability. From adult and junior mountain bikes, to tandems, tag-a-longs and trailers, we have every option you can think of.
“We also stock a range of accessories to keep you safe and comfortable as you pedal, including helmets and protective gear, water bottles, lights and gloves. These are available to buy or hire.”
> Why is Dan Walker’s claim that a bike helmet saved his life so controversial?
At the inquest, it was heard that the hill had signage in place at the time and it was also illustrated on a site map that it was not to be cycled down.
The court was shown footage of Mr Killeen-McGuirk after the meal just minutes before the incident, which showed him “topple from his bike”.
A post mortem examination showed Mr Killeen-McGuirk had died from a severe head injury caused by falling from his bike. The court heard an inspection of the pedal bike he had been riding during the crash found “no mechanical defect”.
Concluding the inquest, the area coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: “Mr Killeen-McGuirk was seen riding down a steep hill on a bike he had hired without a helmet. The route had a number of signs indicating it was not to be used by cyclists. He sustained a serious head injury but it remains unclear as to what caused him to fall.”
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after completing his masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Cymru, and also likes to write about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.
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27 comments
My deepest condolences to the family and friends of Kieran.
My thoughts are with you.
It's on Google Maps here.
Going up the hill there's a sign that says 1:8. It's quite a long hill so you could pick up a lot of speed.
Thanks, Tom. Looks innocuous enough, but I suppose in the dark and the rain after "a couple of drinks"... Very sad.
Looks innocuous indeed. But so does Hardknott pass on certain pics. Condolences to the family but it was signposted, after dark, wet road, dinner, couple of drinks.... In the Center Parks where I've been (not the one in question) they do have helmets available for rental, readily visible too. But they don't push 'm. Not certain that it would have mattered, we don't know how he fell. 10 years ago I was riding a motorcycle in Delhi, India, stopped at a traffic junction. Guy on the motorcycle next to me was at standstill but lost balance and simply tipped over. Hit his head on the kerb (no helmet) and never got up again.
They are steep and personally, I would think twice about cycling down them, especially in bad weather. No way I'd let my 5 year old go down that type of hill, but that's a different risk proposition
When a motorist dies of a head injury, who starts banging on about helmets?
Isn't this the sort of impact what cycle helmets are designed for though? Granted, the park could have done more to restrict people cycling down a hill that has signs advising against doing so, but a person has taken the risk of going against the advise, in the rain and after a few drinks. There has to be some responsibility with the guy however tragically it ended.
I wonder what sort of "steep, wet hill" this actually was, on a Center Parcs site.
I can only base my judgement from the article above. I've never been to a Center Parcs so have no idea what the set up is like. The only time I've been on their website is to double check when the school holidays are.
It sounds like the kind of fall that a helmet is expected to be useful for, but I wonder what kind of speed he was going to have such a traumatic injury.
Thoughts to his family and friends.
It's not clear whether the hill was smooth tarmac or off road. If it was an off road trail he could easily have landed on a rock or a stump and speed would not be an issue. (other than potentially increasing the risk of falling)
Not sure a cycling helmet is designed for a facial impact as mentioned in the article. Why is a helmet even being mentioned? Just seems to be the usual distraction technique.
Distraction from what though?
Distraction from what. I mean seriously. What on earth do people expect here. This was an accident. Someone rode a bike and fell off the bike without a helmet. It was entirely the guys own fault/bad luck.
Given that he was going down a steep hill and therefore likely going at considerable speed, no.
Cycle helmets are designed and tested to provide protection at a speed no more than attained by a head when falling over from a standing position, about 12mph.
Remind me, do bikes have big squishy bag like structures full of air designed to cushion impacts to the head during a collision?
so helmets should be required in older cars which do not have air bags?
If they didn't have roofs and seatbelts/harnesses and you drive them off-road on steep and slippery surfaces you're explicitly told not to, and after you've had a few drinks, a helmet might be advisable (even it's still pretty limited).
I get the point that's being made about 'why are helmets always brought up' - but this sad case doesn't seem the best argument in support.
agree with that, cyclist falling off bike and hitting head on the ground seems like exactly what the bike helmet was designed for
but I find the argument that cars have seatbelts airbags etc so don't need helmets to be dubious, because despite all that cars occupants are still the largest group of fatal head injuries.
What do you mean by "largest group"? Absolute numbers, or even % of fatalities would be misleading given the far greater number of people travelling far greater distances by car.
By per unit of distance travelled, this paper suggests fatal head injuries are 15-20 more likely from cycling than car travel: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10053381/1/Mindell_Cause%20of%20de... (per unit of time is less different but still much lower for car travel).
For clarity, cycling still isn't a very dangerous activity and I don't support mandatory use of helmets.
No, because I have no interest in mandating the wearing of safety equipment while driving or cycling. Just putting extremists who need to push their anti-helmet agenda everywhere back in their box.
Good luck fighting your straw man.
No one. Generally because a driver is strapped in with a protective cage around them.
Whilst there is no evidence to suggest a helmet may have saved Kieran (condolences to his loved ones) it is bound to have been discussed, most likely in terms of liability from the hiring party (in this instance, yes they are available, no they are not compulsory).
So protective that most head injuries occur within motor-vehicles?
You'll want the relative numbers (in terms of number of car occupants / time spent driving) not the absolute there. Or a comparison with motor vehicles with no protective cage.
Not sure whether motoring helmets would focus minds on consequences and safety, or suggest racing / rallying?
In the UK.
What's the situation in the Netherlands...?
Or a pedestrian.