Jane Farrelly was killed in a tragic accident while cycling with her husband Ian and a group of friends near Taupo. Photo / Supplied
Jane Farrelly was killed in a tragic accident while cycling with her husband Ian and a group of friends near Taupo. Photo / Supplied
Cyclist Jane Farrelly died after she was surprised by an oncoming truck and accidentally "wobbled" into its path, a coroner has found.
The 50-year-old Auckland cyclist was hit by a truck and trailer unit in March 2013 while on a group ride with her husband Ian Farrelly and friends from the Manukau Veterans Cycle Club near Taupo.
Coroner Gordon Matenga released his findings into Mrs Farrelly's death today.
His report said the death was accidental and occurred after Mrs Farrelly looked to her right and behind her at the same time as the truck and trailer unit passed her.
"The action of looking to the right and the surprise of seeing the truck so close to her caused Jane to wobble on her cycle towards the right of her lane and into the path of the Mitsubishi truck," Mr Matenga said.
She was cycling on Poihipi Rd at the time - a hilly, rural and winding road between Kinlock and Whakamaru frequently used by cyclists, runners and walkers - and was the third from the front of the cycling group.
Mr Matenga said the stretch of road, which has a yellow no-passing centre line, was also a contributing factor in the crash.
The width of the road varied by almost 1m in the northbound lane, meaning it would be "virtually impossible" for any motorist to gauge the distance to overtake any cyclist.
Taupo District Council has since reviewed lane widths and widened or resurfaced some areas.
The group Mrs Farrelly was with had originally planned to cycle a 92km Girls on Bikes event in the area, and continued on with their plans when the event was cancelled.
Each member of the group was an experienced cyclist and they were riding in single file at the time of the crash, the coroner found.
The ghost bike installed on Poihipi Rd where Auckland cyclist Jane Farrelly died. Photo / Supplied via Taupo Weekender
Evidence from cyclist Yolande Savage at the inquest detailed the moment she watched Mrs Farrelly get hit.
"I was behind Jane ... I was looking ahead watching Jane's wheel as I was a couple of metres behind her. She stood up on her right pedal and turned around to look behind her.
"I saw her wobble and as the truck hit her hand went up in front of her. I did not hear the truck coming from behind at all so I got a shock when I heard the brakes screeching and a thud as he hit Jane," she said.
The cyclists were all startled by the truck as it overtook them, Mr Matenga found.
"No one in the group of cyclists heard the truck approaching until it began to pass them. The truck came as a complete surprise," he said.
Truck driver Larry Boulcott told the inquest in 2014 he hadn't had an eye examination in at least five years at the time of the accident. He later had a test which found he required specialist glasses.
But Mr Matenga found the truck driver's eyesight did not cause the crash.
He said he was not able to consider whether one eye test for truck drivers every 10 years was insufficient because of the finding.
Mrs Farrelly's family has welcomed the report, saying it has cleared the mother-of-two of any blame.
Sister Tina McCullough said the coroner had refuted police claims that Mrs Farrelly's sleeping pills might have been a factor, and that the cyclists were riding two or three abreast.
"Clearly that was not the case," Ms McCullough said.
"The family's hope going forward is that all cycle accidents are investigated thoroughly and that Jane's death has raised further awareness of the need for drivers to take care when passing cyclists. The road is there to be shared by all users, and size does not equate to having ownership of the road."
She said the family still believed the truck driver's eyesight was a factor in the crash, despite the coroner's findings.
The family was looking forward to the section of Poihipi Rd being made safer for other cyclists in the future, in light of the Taupo District Council's plans.
