Last updated at 16:23, Tuesday, 14 August 2012

A CYCLIST was killed because a car driver simply failed to see him as he rode to work on the A590, a court heard.

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Geoff Davis, 51, died after he was hit by a car coming out of a sliproad onto the dual carriageway at Levens last November 29.

Mr Davis was a well known outdoor enthusiast and Evangelical church elder who lived in Windermere Road, Kendal.

Yesterday the car driver – 56-year-old David Dixon – pleaded guilty at Carlisle Crown Court to causing his death by careless driving.

Dixon, of Longlands Lane, Heysham, was remanded on bail for background reports and will be sentenced on September 13.

Few details of the accident were given in court but prosecuting counsel Arthur Gibson accepted that, despite the “catastrophic consequences”, it was not one of the worst cases of its type.

There was no suggestion, he said, that Dixon had been driving too fast, for example.

“This is a case, quite simply, where the unfortunate victim was riding his bicycle properly, the bicycle was properly lit and he was wearing appropriate clothing,” he said.

“He was there to be seen – but Mr Dixon, for whatever reason, didn’t see him.” Judge Peter Hughes QC praised all those involved in the case for their “responsible and realistic attitude”.

“These are always tragic and very difficult cases indeed, and I am grateful to everybody for not adding to the distress,” he said.

First published at 16:22, Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk