Accused says he couldn't stop cyclist

Jane Bishop was killed in an accident on Tamaki Drive in 2010. Photo / Sarah Ivey

The man accused of causing the death of a cyclist on Auckland's Tamaki Drive told police he heard a skid before she collided with him and went under a truck.

Jane Bishop, a 27-year-old British nurse, was cycling home from work in the city between slow-moving traffic and parked cars on the evening of November 17, 2010, when her bicycle went under a tip truck.

She died at the scene.

Police say Glenn Hilton Becker was parked when he opened his car door and stepped on to the road moments before the accident, causing Ms Bishop to go under the truck.

Becker was charged with careless use of a motor vehicle causing death. He pleaded not guilty and is on trial at the Auckland District Court.

A police statement that Becker gave on the day of the crash was read to the court yesterday morning.

About two hours after the accident, Becker was taken back to the Glen Innes police station for an hour-long interview.

The DVD was played to the court yesterday.

Becker told police he had gone to Tamaki Drive to do some fishing, the court heard yesterday. When he got out of his car he saw a cyclist.

Becker said he was "pretty sure" that he looked in the rear-view mirror for any traffic before stepping out of his car.

"I didn't see her at all."

Once out of his car, he heard a skid he recognised as being from a bike.

"I looked up and there she was - on a bike with a little carrier on the front. I might have yelled out 'ooh'. Some noise came out of my mouth.

"She hit my shoulder and leg and sort of stumbled towards the traffic."

Becker said he reached out for Ms Bishop as she went under the truck.

"I couldn't stop her. I didn't get a hold on her or anything."

He said Ms Bishop and her bike were trapped under one of the rear wheels of a tip truck.

"For some reason I asked if she was all right. I'm sure she vaguely shook her head and said 'no'. She was trying to say something after that. She couldn't make words. It was just a noise like a child. Her eyes were wandering."

The court also heard that Ms Bishop was unable to stop before she crashed and was killed.

Senior Constable Brian Hensley investigated the crash.

"I believe the door was opened within Ms Bishop's length of road and she was unable to stop within the distance".

Mr Hensley told the court he found paint marks on Ms Bishop's handlebars and fresh scratches on the inside of Becker's car door, but testing of the paint on the handlebars could not confirm that the paint was from Becker's car.

Mr Hensley said Ms Bishop was riding in a "narrow corridor" and it was not known if Becker would have been able to see her on the road.

"Becker did not keep a constant lookout behind as he got out of his car and did not see Bishop until it was too late," he said.

Under cross-examination from Becker's lawyer, Kevin Brosnahan, Mr Hensley said he was aware Becker's parking space and others around it had been removed by the Auckland City Council just days after the accident.

"To me, it would appear to a large extent that they have moved the situation 20m down the road."

He said he had heard the road referred to as a "pinch point" but the lane was 3.6m wide at the point of the crash.

Mr Hensley said the situation was "pretty dangerous" but was not unique.

"There are a lot of situations where two lanes go through an intersection and one lane is taken up by parking."

Mr Brosnahan also asked if he was aware that Cycle Action Auckland had raised concerns about the corner in 2006 - four years before the crash.

Mr Hensley said the group had written to his sergeant and papers were forwarded to him.

The trial is due to finish today.