SIXTEEN months after teenage cyclist Ruby Milnes was killed by a lorry on a York cycle path, prosecutors have still not decided whether to take any action.
A spokeswoman for the Crown Prosecution Service said today it had the file on the accident near York Racecourse, and was still “considering the issues.”
Ruby’s mother, Alison, said the delays were frustrating, but she understood that the case was complex, and her main priority had always been that there should be a comprehensive investigation into the full circumstances of the tragedy. Ruby, 17, of Bishophill, died in May last year when she was cycling home from York College along a cycle track behind the racecourse and was in collision with a lorry.
The vehicle was being driven along an access road to the racecourse which crosses the cycle track. A series of safety improvements were carried out in the weeks afterwards, including the trimming of a hedge to improve sightlines, new 5mph signs on the road, warning signs on the road and cycle path, and alterations to a barrier.
Ruby’s parents, Alison and David, said last year that the terrible tragedy was that their daughter had to be killed before such safety measures were put in place.
The Milnes said in May this year that they understood police had completed their lengthy investigation into Ruby’s death, and the force was in discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service about what action, if any, should be taken. They said then that they had been warned from the outset it would take a long time to investigate the accident, and that the health and safety practices of the three organisations with responsibility for the site hadto be thoroughly examined in the context of the accident. They said they were confident that the police had been extremely thorough.
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