Cyclist Peter Griffin killed in crash with park rollerblader

Published: August 25, 2011
by SIMON WROE

A CYCLIST “dedicated to helping others” died after falling from his bike in a park, an inquest heard yesterday (Wed­nes­day).

Peter Griffin, 49, a support worker with St Mungo’s charity in Kilburn, was cycling to work through Hyde Park in March when he collided with a rollerblader using the same path.

St Pancras Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Griffin complained to London Ambulance staff of “extreme pain” in his head following the crash.

He was taken to St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington and died of bleeding on the brain that evening.

According to witness statements, Mr Griffin was cycling in the middle of the road, near the Albert Memorial, when he collided with the rollerblader.

He was not wearing a helmet when he fell from his bike.

His sister, Rose Griffin, who had travelled from Ireland with her family for the inquest, said her brother was a sport-obsessed man who loved cycling, swimming and Arsenal football club.

“He lived life to the full and he was dedicated to helping others,” she said.

“Even after the accident he was telling the paramedics: ‘I’ve got to go to work. I’m going to be late’.”

Mr Griffin, who was divorced, regularly cycled from his home in Fulham to the charity’s sheltered housing unit in Chichester Road.

PC Mark Wood, of Hyde Park Constabulary, said collision investigators at the Metropolitan Police had examined the bike and found that it was in working order.

Coroner’s officer Rod Quilter told the inquest that ambulance staff at the scene had reported Mr Griffin was “initially conscious” but had become “unresponsive” by the time the emergency crew got him to hospital.

Safety concerns about cycling and rollerblading in Hyde Park have been raised before.

In 1995, 26-year-old cyclist Mark Welch died from head injuries after colliding with a rollerblader in the park.

In response to Mr Welch’s death, the Royal Parks Agency and the British In-Line Skating Association issued stricter guidelines for rollerbladers in the park.

They said they should keep in single file on footpaths and were not allowed to jump, spin or skate backwards in busy areas.

But Mr Griffin’s family insisted this week that his death had been “a tragic accident” and that “no one was to blame”.

Coroner Suzanne Greenaway gave the cause of death as “a traumatic brain injury”, adding: “My formal conclusion is that Peter Griffin died as a result of an accident.”