The parents of 14-year-old bike crash victim Kadian Harding, killed last July while out cycling with his family in Marlborough, have announced that they will take legal action over his death.
Thomas and Debora Harding issued a statement following the decision of Wiltshire and Swindon coroner David Ridley at Salisbury yesterday (Wednesday) to record a narrative verdict on the boy’s death.
Kadian died when his front brake failed on a slope at Clatford, outside Marlborough, and he was in a collision with a Mercedes van.
The coroner said he would use his powers under Rule 43 and write to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents detailing the “lessons learned” and whether anything could be done to raise awareness of bike checks.
In their statement, Kadian’s parents said: “It’s not yet been a year since our beautiful 14-year-old son, Kadian, died. During this time we’ve relived every moment of the events leading up to his death.
“As we heard, and the coroner found, the brakes did not work on Kadian’s bike.”
Recording his verdict, Mr Ridley said the front brake suffered “a complete catastrophic failure”, which was probably due to the pinch bolt on the front yoke not being tight enough.
He said the rear brake had some function but it was “unclear as to the extent of its function”.
And he then added: “As I made clear at the outset of the inquest, Rule 43 prohibits me in relation to my findings from finding any civil and criminal liability of any named person.
“An inquest is not a court of blame. It is not a trial.”
The inquest had been told that Kadian, from the Hamptshire village of Steep, near Petersfield was taking a course at Marlborough College’s annual summer school at the time of his death on July 25 last year.
He went for a bike ride with his family when the tragedy happened at 5.50pm, his father, cycling behind him, witnessing unable to stop as he approached the busy A4 road outside Marlborough.
Earlier that same day, Kadian had taken his bicycle to the Acceler8 bike shop in Marlborough having been told by his father to get the brakes checked.
Philip Birkett, owner of the bike shop, told the inquest: “I stand by my work and everything I did was correct. When the bike left the shop it was in a perfectly safe condition.”
See also:
Two experts agree that front brake failure caused the death of 14-year-old cyclist – Day 2 of the inquest
Father reveals the tragic moment he saw his cyclist son killed in a crash on the A4 at Clatford – Day 1 of the inquest
Full statements from Kadian Harding bike crash family and their solicitors Thomas and Debora Harding said: “It has not yet been a year since our beautiful 14-year-old son, Kadian, died. During this time we have relived every moment of the events leading up to his death. “The Coroner today issued a narrative verdict. As we heard, and the Coroner found, the brakes did not work on Kadian’s bike. We appreciate, too, that the police have made clear that, in their opinion, the failure of the front and back brakes caused the accident that cost Kadian his life. “We remain, therefore, shocked and angry that this happened just two hours after he had been to a bike to shop to get his brakes repaired. “With more and more people taking up cycling, we need to make sure that bike shops are sending people out on bicycles that are safe.” Sally Moore from law firm Leigh Day who is representing the family said: “The evidence from the police vehicle examiner involved in this case was clear that Kadian’s death was caused by the failure of both front and back brakes. “The coroner also agreed that there had been catastrophic failure of the front brake and that the back brake was not working sufficiently so as to stop the bicycle in an emergency, therefore the family will be pursuing legal action against Acceler8.” |