Coach driver sobs over deadly collision with young cyclist

A coach driver who hit and killed a young architect as she cycled to work broke down in tears as he told a court he thinks about it ‘every single day’.

Barry Northcott, 40, inflicted ‘catastrophic injuries’ on Karla Roman, 32, as she rode to her office on a cycle superhighway in Whitechapel, east London.

The incident took place at the junction of White Church Lane and Whitechapel High Street on 6 February last year.

Northcott’s coach collided with Ms Roman and ‘dragged her with her bike under the wheels of the coach,’ Woolwich crown court heard.

Ms Roman was taken to hospital where attempts to save her life were unsuccessful.

Northcott broke down today as he told jurors about the moment he realised he hit Ms Roman.

‘It was a metallic scrape,’ he said.

‘There was no one in my mirrors prior to that impact.

‘I felt a judder and I asked if something had hit us from behind – all of this happened in a second.

‘I said “what the f**k was that?” I thought someone had come and hit me from behind.

‘I was very upset; I can’t give you a word for how I felt.

‘I just know I was deeply, deeply upset.

‘I think about it every single day.’

The coach driver had to take multiple breaks throughout giving his emotional evidence.

But Northcott denied that the tragic incident was caused by his careless driving.

He said: ‘I do not accept that what happened fell below what is expected of me.’

Members of Ms Roman’s family sat in court as Northcott gave his evidence.

Northcott was working for Kent-based coach company Clarks Coaches, and was driving a commuter coach on the day of the accident.

He had to be informed by a passenger that he had hit a cyclist, the court heard.

In a statement read to the court one passenger, Matthew Smith, said that Northcott was ‘shaken’ and asked: ‘Is she alive? I didn’t see her, I didn’t see her.’

Northcott later told the police he often disregarded the rules about the cycle stop box to ‘stop himself being swamped by cyclists.’

Prosecutor Harpreet Sandhu told jurors Northcott’s ‘deliberate decision’ to enter the cycle stop box, which is there to provide safety, ‘deprived one cyclist of that.’

Northcott, of Southover, Bromley, Kent, denies death by careless driving.

The trial continues.
ends