Van driver heard 'knock' after hitting cyclist

Rebecca Comins was a champion triathlete taking part in an organised time trial event

A court has heard of the moment a van driver realised he had hit a cyclist and tried to flag down other motorists to help.

Rebecca Comins, 52, was taking part in an organised time trial event on the A40 near Raglan in June 2022 when the incident happened.

Vasile Barbu, 49, of Old Hereford Road, Abergavenny, denies causing her death by dangerous driving at Cardiff Crown Court but admitted causing death by careless driving.

In a police interview, given the day after the collision, he described seeing Mrs Comins - a champion triathlete from Caldicot, Monmouthshire - lying on the floor and "breathing hard".

"I was asking her, 'Are you ok? Are you hurt? What is your name?'" he said, adding that "no one stopped" when he tried flagging down other drivers for help.

The jury was also told Mr Barbu was the owner of The Old Pandy Inn in Abergavenny, as well as having a transport business which he had set up during the pandemic.

On 2 June 2022 he was due to drive to Romania to deliver furniture and other items for a friend, a journey he said he had made "around 20 times" over the previous two years.

He said he set off about 18:30BST and, as he came onto the A40, noticed cyclists in the lay-by.

Vasile Barbu denies causing Ms Comins death by dangerous driving but admitted causing death by careless driving

Mr Barbu told police he saw Mrs Comins' flashing rear red light "seconds" before moving to overtake her.

He said he didn’t slow down but moved partially into the right hand lane, estimating having given "a metre" to pass before realising something was wrong.

"I heard a knock but I didn't think I'd hit her," he said, adding that he thought the noise may have been parcel moving in the back of his vehicle.

When asked about his driving before the collision he said the steering was "a little heavy" but didn’t believe it was due to the weight of the van.

Mr Barbu, who already has three points on his licence for speeding, said he could not explain how the collision had happened.

A post-mortem examination found Mrs Comins had suffered multiple rib fractures, significant bleeding and a fracture of the left arm, with the cause of death being given as "blunt chest injury".

The trial continues.