Coroner at inquest into fatal crash warns of danger of cycling e-bikes after drinking alcohol
Stephen Surdival (pictured) told the Coroners Court inquest into the death of Robert Forbes that his friend "went everywhere with the bike. He was a very skilled cyclist”. Photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins Photos
A coroner has warned of the dangers of riding an e-bike after consuming alcohol after a cyclist was killed when his e-bike crashed into a lamppost in Dublin two years ago.
The coroner, Clare Keane, said the public needed to be aware of the risk of driving any mechanically propelled vehicle after drinking alcohol following the cyclist’s death. Robert Forbes, 45, suffered fatal injuries after his e-bike struck a pole on Sallymount Avenue in Ranelagh on November 1, 2021.
A sitting of Dublin District Coroner’s Court on Thursday heard the collision occurred at around 8.30pm as Mr Forbes was returning to his home at Anna Villa, Ranelagh, after enjoying a few pints in a pub on Baggot Street with his housemate. He was rushed to St Vincent’s University Hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after 10pm.
Post-mortem results showed Mr Forbes suffered traumatic injuries including multiple fractures and massive internal bleeding. Dr Keane said the cyclist had died from hypovolemic shock as a result of his injuries which were consistent with his e-bike having struck a lamppost.
The coroner said a toxicology report showed the deceased also had “a quite significant amount” of alcohol in his body at the time of the incident which she regarded as a contributory factor in his death.
Mr Forbes’ housemate, Stephen Surdival, told the inquest that the pair had met in Searson’s pub on Baggot Street earlier that evening at around 5pm for a few drinks.
Mr Surdival said his friend was drinking pints of beer and was “in really good form” and in a “super mood.” The witness said they had a habit of leaving pubs without telling each other and he had left Searson’s at 7.30pm to collect his own bike.
Mr Surdival said he had walked to their home in Ranelagh because he didn’t have lights for his bicycle. When he arrived at Sallymount Avenue, he recalled seeing flashing blue lights and expressed hope that it did not have anything to do with his friend.
However, Mr Surdival said he spotted what he believed was Mr Forbes’ e-bike resting against a wall before seeing his friend lying unconscious on the ground. He told the inquest he was “in complete and utter shock” to be informed when at home a short time later that Mr Forbes had died.
Mr Surdival said his friend was a “very skilled and co-ordinated cyclist” who had converted a Cube mountain bike into an e-bike himself over a year before the fatal incident using a battery and other components that he had sourced from China.
“He went everywhere with the bike. He was a very skilled cyclist,” remarked Mr Surdival. In response to questions from the coroner, Mr Surdival said the deceased did not appear intoxicated at the time they parted in the pub and was taking a route home that he would have cycled regularly.
In a written statement, a motorist described seeing a male cycling erratically as he turned from Leeson Street onto Appian Way just before the fatal collision. Nick Langlois said the cyclist was veering from the kerb into the middle of the road as he came to the junction from Waterloo Road.
Mr Langlois estimated the cyclist was travelling at around 50km/h which he remembered struck him as strange at the time because he was going so fast without appearing to be pedalling.
He said the cyclist, who had no lights on his bike and was not wearing any high-viz jacket, also went through a red traffic light when he had stopped before turning onto Sallymount Avenue.
The motorist said he was flagged down by a pedestrian a short time later about a cyclist having crashed and he was in no doubt that it involved the same individual he had seen just moments earlier.
A resident of Sallymount Avenue who witnessed the fatal crash, Karen Deenihan, fought back tears as she recalled how local people and passersby cared for the injured cyclist and brought him blankets as he was waiting for an ambulance.
A public vehicle inspector who examined the e-bike, Garda David O’Brien, said it was in serviceable condition with no issues with its tyres or brakes.
Garda O’Brien said he was unable to test ride the bike because its battery had broken off. He added that he did not believe such vehicles were “fit for public highway use”.
A forensic collision investigator, Garda John Culleton, said the crash was caused after the deceased’s e-bike had mounted the footpath and struck the pole with no other vehicle involved. The inquest heard that street lighting in the area at the time was fine, while the road surface was dry.
Garda Celine Kirwan told the hearing that CCTV footage showed that Mr Forbes had gone back into the pub for another hour after his friend had left and had ordered another drink.
Recording a verdict of death by misadventure, the coroner said there was a need to raise public awareness about the risks associated with speeding, breaking red lights and not wearing high-viz jackets as well as consuming alcohol when cycling such bikes.
Offering condolences to friends of Mr Forbes who were in court, Dr Keane acknowledged that details of the case were “very distressing”.
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