According to testimony given in court, a cyclist who had been spotted cycling “aggressively and carelessly” jumped a red light and struck a 56-year-old pedestrian, killing him.
On June 20, 2020, a cyclist named Cornelius De Bruin, age 23, collided with a pedestrian named Ian Roland Gunn in Didsbury, south Manchester.
Mr. Gunn was transferred to the hospital but passed away eight days later.
Following Mr. Gunn’s passing, Mr. De Bruin was accused of reckless or wanton driving that caused physical damage, which he vigorously disputes.
On the first day of his trial, a CCTV video showing Mr. De Bruin riding his bike along Barlow Moor Road was shown before Bolton Crown Court.
At the intersection of Barlow Moor Road and Palatine Road, Mr. De Bruin was seen running a red light before driving into Wilmslow Road.
Additionally, it showed Mr. Gunn going in and out of a nearby Tesco Express before crossing Wilmslow Road and being hit by Mr. De Bruin.
Witnesses testified in court about seeing Mr. De Bruin, a resident of Fallowfield, riding his bicycle at a “rapid” speed.
Peter Clare, who was operating his Land Rover when Mr. De Bruin passed him in the moments before the collision, estimated he was travelling at least “20 mph” and said De Bruin was “moving extremely fast” while sitting up on the bike and pedalling.
He recalled thinking, “If someone steps out,” they will run into Mr. De Bruin, and he said, “Before I could even complete his thought, he had already struck the gentleman.” He recalled thinking this in court.
Corenlius De Bruin, of Fallowfield, south Manchester, denies reckless or belligerent driving that results in physical injury.
Other witnesses heard Mr. De Bruin stop when they saw Mr. Gunn, and they heard a “screeching” sound.
According to a witness, Mr. Gunn and Mr. De Bruin both made an effort to avoid each other. Mr. De Bruin allegedly spun his steering wheel “90 degrees” in an attempt to steer away from the pedestrian, but his “momentum” caused him to collide with Mr. Gunn.
Pedestrians recounted how Mr. De Bruin, who was wearing “cycling gear,” got on his feet relatively “quickly” and was uninjured while Mr. Gunn, who had been injured in the collision, had drifted in and out of consciousness multiple times.
While Mr. De Bruin acknowledges hitting Mr. Gunn, he did not want to hurt him, the jury was informed.
Although he “tried to get out of the path,” Mr. De Bruin informed police that he “could not escape the crash.”
The court heard how he told police that the pace he was going at was a “typical” speed to him and that he “didn’t believe he was riding too fast,” despite the fact that the court was informed he had been cycling “aggressively and recklessly.”
According to testimony given in court, Mr. Gunn received treatment at the scene and was then brought to Manchester Royal Infirmary.
He was said to have suffered injuries to his abdomen and back of his head.
At the time, Greater Manchester Police were not contacted, and it wasn’t until June 27 that they documented Mr. De Bruin’s information and issued a search appeal.
Prosecutor Simon Blakerough read testimony from the paramedic who treated Mr. Gunn throughout the trial.
The paramedic said that they were stunned to learn of Mr. Gunn’s death since they did not consider his injuries to be “life-threatening.”
In his opening remarks, Mr. Blakerough described how the first scans performed after the crash indicated “brain damage and rib fractures” and how Mr. Gunn passed away from a “traumatic brain injury” when his condition “deteriorated” days later.
The trial is still ongoing and is expected to run two more days.