Safe Speed Forums

'Driver sending text killed cyclist'
By John Hoskins

Jordan Wickington
A SPEEDING driver was texting her estranged husband when she hit a teenage cyclist at a major road junction in Southampton, jurors heard.

Kiera Coultas, 25, was replying to a message when she crashed into 19-year-old scaffolder Jordan Wickington, it was alleged.

The teenager - who was not wearing a helmet - died from head injuries in hospital later the same day.

Prosecutor David Jenkins told the city crown court: "She was texting at the time of the impact and that's why she didn't see the cyclist."

The accident happened at the junction of West Quay Road and Mountbatten Way shortly after 7am on February 7 last year. Jordan was cycling in the direction of Totton along Mountbatten Way.

Jurors heard that Jordan, who lived in Woolston Road, Netley, had momentarily stopped at the traffic lights but then went through them when they were red.

advertisementHe was about two-thirds across the junction when Coultas struck him in her BMW.

She had driven along West Quay Road, intending to turn left into Mountbatten Way. She was on her way to see her estranged husband at the hotel where she worked.

Mr Jenkins said: "It was a cold, clear morning, not quite daylight, and the street lights were still on.

"She had gone through the lights, which were green in her favour, and only saw the cyclist when she collided with him.'' The court heard that police could not understand why Coultas had not seen the cyclist and queried her speed in the 30mph limit. But the answer became clear when checks were made on her mobile phone.

Mr Jenkins alleged that shortly before the crash, her estranged husband had sent her a text. It read: "I hope ur up, have no bread if you want a sandwich, just let me know."

Mr Jenkins told jurors she was sending a message back when the accident occurred.

"Although she was going through green lights, we suggest she was doing that in excess of the speed limit, something like 40-45mph which is quite dangerous.

"If she was doing that and texting, that is certainly dangerous because she wasn't looking ahead."

Coultas, of Frost Lane, Hythe, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

Proceeding

there's no defence angle given there to suggest she wasn't texting.. in fact there's no defence side given at all (balanced journalism anyone?).

whilst running a red on any form of transport is clearly illegal, surely its just the kind of hazard an alert drive is on the lookout for? be it car, cycle or pedestrian.

You have to wonder if the cyclist ignored the red light, and the driver was going so fast through the green light because of the way the council have set up their lights to cause as much inconvenience as possible? This is Southampton.

At this junction there are no pedestrians, pavements, shops, schools, etc. It is the duel carriageway leaving the town center sandwiched between the port and railway line. The cycle path is fenced apart next to the railway line. there is a red light camera and two speed cameras about 500m in each direction. one 50mph one 30mph

I think it's far more relevant to wonder if either the driver or the cylist could have paid more attention and avoided this tragic accident.

I would imagine that if you travel in Southampton a lot then you learn to associate a green light with "go quickly, it's going to change soon" and a red light with "stop if it's been on for a few seconds unless there's noone looking".

What worrys me is that the police seem to prove texting by receiving a text message.

If an accident happened to me.
I would not want to be found guilty of texting, which I never do , just because someone sent me a text message.

I wonder if, especially due to the junctions with only one green light at any one time, people are learning that "green light means nothing is coming"?