Newport: Cyclist died in crash with speeding car

Joshua Fletcher died after the bike he was riding was hit by a car in October 2020

A 16-year-old cyclist was killed after he was hit by a speeding car as he crossed a busy road while distracted by headphones, an inquest has concluded.

Joshua Fletcher died in October 2020 after being hit by a Ford Focus on the Southern Distributor Road in Newport.

An inquest at Newport Coroner's Court heard Joshua was not wearing a helmet when he tried to cross the road, which was deemed to be unsafe.

The coroner recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision.

The court heard William Davies, the driver of the Ford, was travelling above the speed limit and told police officers he "did not have any time to react".

'A lovely boy'

In a statement from his family read to the court Joshua was described as "happy and joyful", and a "caring young man".

The inquest heard Joshua was a talented rugby player and was studying to become a mechanic.

Joshua Fletcher played for Pill Harriers in Newport

The court heard Joshua had decided to ride his bike to college because he would always arrive late if he used the bus.

The Senior Coroner for Gwent, Caroline Saunders, said Joshua was hit by the car on the A48 Southern Distributor Road on Friday 16 October 2020, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

The main cause of death was given as a skull fracture and diffuse cerebral injuries.

No drugs or alcohol were found in his system and the court heard he was not wearing a helmet.

'No time to react'

In a police statement read to the court, the driver, Mr Davies, said his view was "unobstructed" and he believed he was driving the 40mph (65km/h) speed limit.

He said he blinked and saw "a boy on a bike" without "any time to react".

One motorist said she did not see Joshua stop at the pedestrian island between the eastbound and westbound carriageways.

Another motorist said they saw Joshua with "his head down" and "pedalling at quite a rate" and that "he didn't seem to be aware of the danger he was in".

Another witness said she saw Joshua "going at a fair rate" stood up on his pedals beginning to cross the carriageway and that it did not look like he was going to stop.

She said: "My personal interpretation is that the cyclist had misjudged the traffic lights."

William Davies was travelling above the 40mph limit on the Southern Distributor Road, police found

PC Richard Wyatt from Gwent Police told the court he had been a police officer for 28 years and had been a qualified forensic collision investigator for 22 years.

He said investigators had carried out a reconstruction and had obtained dash-cam footage that had allowed them to calculate the speed and road position of Mr Davies, the driver, and Joshua.

He said the first time the driver would have seen Joshua would have been 4.2m (13.7ft) away from the point of impact.

He said the driver had reacted in 0.26 seconds, which he said was "an extremely quick reaction".

He said they carried out multiple tests on that stretch of road and worked out the driver was travelling 48mph (77km/h).

PC Wyatt added: "My main concern is that Joshua didn't have a helmet on."

Combination of factors

In her conclusion Ms Saunders said: "The excess speed at the time Mr Davies was driving has more than minimally contributed to Joshua's death.

"That said, it is clear that Joshua decided to cross a busy road when it was not safe for him to do so, he was distracted by headphones and was not wearing a helmet.

"Joshua's death was caused by a combination of Joshua failing to cross the road safely, him not heeding oncoming traffic or the traffic lights, and the excess speed at which the car was being driven.

"The conclusion of this inquest will be recorded as a road traffic collision."