WITNESSES have described how a cyclist was sent flying through the air when he was hit by a car and killed while two motorists were using a dual carriageway as a ‘racetrack’.
Paige Robinson and David Ferry are accused of causing the death of dad-of-two Graham Pattison when their ‘road-rage’ incident led to the cyclist suffering fatal injuries on the A689 heading towards Hartlepool.
Teesside Crown Court heard how the pair had been involved in a dispute as they drove along the dual carriageway on July 24, 2020.
Emergency services helped Mr Pattison, but he had suffered severe spinal injuries, and was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital. The prosecution say that both defendants are equally culpable for the 49-year cyclist's death.
Trevor Smith, who was driving behind the two cars in the moments leading up to the fatal incident, said: “The white car was quite close to the black car - they were side by side. They seemed to be matching each other. The white car swerved to the left and it was a “speed wobble” as if she was trying to get the car under control. The brake lights went on at that point.
“There was a cyclist in front of the white car. I can remember saying to my wife - ‘he’s going to get hit’, I was referring to the cyclist. I was braking very hard; I was worried the cyclist might land in front of my car. At first I thought the cyclist was going to go under the vehicle, but instead he bounced up onto the bonnet, onto the windscreen then quite high into the air and into the verge.”
Read more: Police uncover 'largest ever' cannabis grow in Darlington
The court had heard how 24-year-old Robinson was driving the white Ford Fiesta at the time of the incident while Ferry, 47, was driving his black Audi.
The next witness, Phillipa Smith, the wife of Trevor, told jurors that she saw a black car driven past their car ‘at speed’ moments before the collision but could not confirm whether it was an Audi or not.
In her evidence, she said: “I felt the cars - to get side by side - were there for longer than it would take to just overtake a car. And I felt that the black car absolutely drifted towards the white car. They didn’t go out of their lanes.
The white car was in the middle of its lane and the black car drifted over towards the white car. The white vehicle swerved hard towards the side of the road and then was swerving backwards and forwards within the lane, away from the black car - like a “speed wobble.
“Initially I thought the black car was going to crash into the white car then I thought the white car would crash into it. I didn’t see the cyclist, I was just looking at the cars.”
Mrs Smith told how she got out the car and ran to try and help the cyclist.
She said: “I was telling him to hang on. I was saying the ambulance is here - hang on.”
Robinson, of Geranium Close in Billingham and Ferry, 47, of Granville Terrace in Redcar, both deny the charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
The trial continues.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
You can also follow our dedicated Teesside Facebook page for all the latest in the area by clicking here.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@nne.co.uk or contact 01325 505054
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article