Cyclist tells of struggle for justice after almost dying beneath lorry in Hackney

 
“Still nervous”: Kirby Stebbing was dragged under the wheels of a skip lorry

A cyclist who suffered “horrendous” injuries beneath the wheels of a skip lorry today told of her long battle to win justice and rebuild her life.

Kirby Stebbing, 27, was flat-hunting with her boyfriend Sam Ward when she was dragged under the turning vehicle in Balls Pond Road, Hackney, in 2010.

“I was going across crossroads and [the lorry] came up from behind me and just started turning left across my path,” she said. “I saw it and quickly turned but it all happened so quickly and I was dragged underneath.”

The UCL graduate was saved by London’s Air Ambulance’s specialist trauma team and had more than 10 operations, including skin grafts to her left leg. She spent two months in the Royal London Hospital and 18 months off work.

Having now settled out of court, the charity worker, who grew up in Upminster, has received a six-figure payout to cover her ongoing care and future loss of earnings. She said of her legal battle: “It took three-and-a-half years. The initial response was ‘No, your claim is not valid, go away’.

“We agreed out of court, which for me was really great. I’m still very nervous about thinking about it and suffer post-traumatic stress disorder.”

The driver, Dean Simmons, pleaded guilty to careless driving. Insurers for his firm, Dunlea’s Enterprise, eventually accepted two-thirds liability.

Ms Stebbing and Mr Ward moved to Nottingham, largely to escape memories of the crash. She has since been able to get back on her bike on country paths. “Every time I went back into London it was just triggering a lot of bad feelings,” she said. “I don’t think the roads are being made safe enough.”

Her solicitor Penny Knight, head of the cycling team at Leigh Day, said: “She is a remarkable young woman to be able to carry on and strive to get herself a career and live life to the full with such horrendous injuries.”

Reynolds Parker Chamberlain, the solicitors for the lorry firm’s insurers, declined to comment.

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