Lack of safety at fatal bike-crash site 'upsetting'

The son of an elderly lady who died after being struck by a cyclist has told an inquest into her death that he is "frustrated" and "upset" that safety measures had not been improved following the accident.

Polly Friedhoff, 81, died two weeks after colliding with a cyclist on the River Thames towpath near Iffley Lock, Oxford in November 2022.

The cyclist, Edward Bressan, 56, was cleared of causing bodily harm by wanton or furious driving at a trial in July.

An inquest into Ms Friedhoff's death ruled on Thursday that it had been an accident, with Oxfordshire coroner Darren Salter telling the court that it was a "very sad case".

In recording his verdict, Mr Salter said despite it being a "relatively slow speed impact", it had "nether the less caused Ms Friedhoff to suffer serious injuries".

Mr Bressan told the inquest that having become aware of his presence, Ms Friedhoff had "panicked" and ran across his path - before colliding with his left handlebar.

He had been travelling at "walking pace" when he collided with her, an eye-witness said in a statement.

Mr Bressan said Ms Friedhoff had then tried to regain her balance, before "falling flat on her face".

"I was desperately hoping she'd be able to re-balance, then it was just a sudden moment where she just collapsed."

He went on to extend his "sincere sympathy" to Ms Friedhoff's family, adding that it had been a "tragic accident".

Responding to Mr Bressan's evidence, Ms Friedhoff's son Jolyon said he "had sympathy" for the cyclist, adding: "I realise there were no bad intentions on your part."

Mr Friedhoff also raised concerns over traffic measures on the path, saying: "Talking to people around that area, they're very anxious about it."

He said he also used to cycle in the area and would often see pedestrians "cowering in the bushes" whilst trying to avoid bikes.

"Pedestrians are often seen as a strange hazard," he said.

Mr Bressan also raised questions over the safety measures in place on the "overcrowded" path.

The court heard that whilst signage was in place on the path saying "no cycling", they were not particularly visible and was rarely acknowledged.

Mr Friedhoff said: "We all know it's kind of ridiculous - it's too narrow for pedestrians, let alone cyclists."

He said that to change behaviour in the area, cyclists "need to know that someone died here".

"It's frustrating and upsetting that no solutions have been found," he added.

The land is owned by the Environment Agency (EA), whilst the footpath is managed by Oxfordshire County Council (OCC).

As part of his verdict, Mr Salter said he would prepare a regulation 28 report to try and prevent future deaths - which would be aimed at how the EA and OCC could improve safety in the area.

In a statement which was read out during the inquest, Ms Friedhoff's other son Andrew, said the news of the accident involving his "wonderful" mother had been a "terrible shock".

"Her death left us with a huge hole," he said.

"Although the accident was a shock, there was a horrible inevitability about it - having walked that way often."

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.