A JURY has called for the mandatory fitting of cyclops mirrors on all heavy goods vehicles at an inquest into the death of an elderly man who was struck by a truck while crossing at pedestrian lights.
John Bracken (83), Offaly Road, Cabra, Dublin, sustained multiple injuries when he was struck by an articulated truck at the crossing on the New Cabra Road.
Mr Bracken was crossing the road on May 5th, 2009, when the lights changed to green for traffic. He was hit by the passenger side of a six-axle truck driven by James McShane.
Dublin City Coroner’s Court heard there was no cyclops mirror fitted on the truck and there was a blind spot in front of the vehicle.
Cyclops mirrors, which provide the driver with a downward view in front of the vehicle, are not mandatory at the moment.
Mr Bracken’s son Garrett Bracken said that if the truck was behind the thick white line, there would have been no blind spot. He made reference to a statement of eyewitness Martin Ryan, which was read out in court, in which Mr Ryan said he could not see the pedestrian lights at the far side of the road as the truck was in his line of sight.
Mr McShane said he did not see Mr Bracken at any stage. The truck driver told the inquest he stopped short of the traffic lights and that he was not over the white line.
Mr Bracken was taken by ambulance to the Mater hospital where he died of multiple injuries.
Coroner Dr Brian Farrell said the issue of the blind spot was an important health and safety issue on the streets of Dublin.
“I’ve lost count of the number of inquests we’ve had over the last number of years where pedestrians and cyclists have lost their lives in the blind spot of high-sided vehicles,” he said. Dr Farrell highlighted a number of risk factors including the blind spot and the sequence of the lights.