2008-04-22 - Rider Down/Fatility, Brixton

I guess the mother of all accidents has happened. The main junction by the cinema/town hall is cordoned off, Police and Ambulances everywhere.

As a result traffic is backed right down towards Kennington and I guess all directions heading towards Brixton.

ride safe.

most likely man dems lettin the shotties talk

theres a girl under a prison transport van

ooooh... that doesn't sound very pleasant :(

I rode over to see what all the commotion was a while back, we almost had a mini-riot goin' for a minute outside the Ritzy... Not nice... It was a 13 year old girl apparently, hope she's OK, they airlifted her out about half an hour ago... :(

blimey... that sounds pretty bad if they airlifted her to hospital. hope she's ok.

bbc says that she died at the scene...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7361651.stm

On a lighter note, congrats to that poor sod who managed to hit George Galloway with a rubber stress ball from his office window. Shot.

Ouch. It was chaos when I was going through before. Poor girl. Lots of panicking policemen. Oh and apparently people were trying to smash the securicor van windows.

jeez..... 13 years old, her parents must be, well.... can't put it into words, fingers crossed it never happens to one of us.

yeah.. tragic. my condolences.

pretty chaotic in both directions all evening.

motor vehicles should be banned !

her family should sue tfl, the manufacturer of the vehicle and the driver.

motor vehicles should be banned !

her family should sue tfl, the manufacturer of the vehicle and the driver.

Obviously. :s

Or if everyone just learnt to share the road and look out for one another.

So its not a 13 year old anymore apparently, but one of the people who hang around Windrush / Ritzy bit well known face in Brixton and all that. Seems they didn't collect many witness statements (as her friends saw it happen, hence the rucus with the prison van) and when I passed they did seem more concerned about keeping the prisoners on board and saving the woman. The driver of the van's been arrested. Beeb news story's been updated:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7361651.stm

The prison vans are the most consistently dangerous drivers I encounter around Brixton and on the way into central. Every time I see them when I'm on my commute I tray and steer well clear as they seem to have a habit of deliberately cutting up cyclist in the bus lane. There have been a coupld of times when I've narrowly avoided being hit by them and they're the only vehichle which I have come close to beating with my lock. I don't think they do it for prisoner security, but just because they're twats - if it was security they'd have some 5-0 with them. Be really careful of them

The prison vans are the most consistently dangerous drivers I encounter around Brixton and on the way into central. Every time I see them when I'm on my commute I tray and steer well clear as they seem to have a habit of deliberately cutting up cyclist in the bus lane. There have been a coupld of times when I've narrowly avoided being hit by them and they're the only vehichle which I have come close to beating with my lock. I don't think they do it for prisoner security, but just because they're twats - if it was security they'd have some 5-0 with them. Be really careful of them

I completely agree with that, I've had a fair few tussles with them myself on the way in and out of Brixton...

Maybe Boris can ban them as well as bendy buses when he becomes mayor (in his twisted dreams).

Pub rumour has it she was messing around (it being outside windrush gardens, that's hardly unusual) and then got caught up with the van, started to stand in front of it and grab bits of it and the driver promptly went into panick mode, remembered his anti hijack training and drove over her.

Besides, Brixton has a large remand section doesn't it, so people will always be moved from court to there and back again.

Just missed it last night, they were still taping up the road when I got there, mayhem. I thought there was gonna be a riot at one point as all the drugdealers and layabouts were shouting 'Murderers', 'Police brutality', 'Racist pigs' this and that....WTF!? A prison van runs over some silly bitch jumping around the van and next minute he's a racist murderer!?
Sorry, I know I sound harsh but I got no sympathy if it is horseplay and it transpires that she was fucking about.
It was well moody last night and it would have only taken a handful of idiots to kick off and all hell would have broken loose

Well there's a whole section of Brixton that's never really going to be friendly towards the police nor the prison system. That she might have used drugs is all a bit irrelevant.
She got run over at a junction where lots of people have near misses (they've changed the lighting sequence on the Acre Lane bit making the crossing from the ritzy > st matthews impossible for anyone who isn't flight of foot and I've seen lots of the old codgers / women with prams get stuck in the middle of the traffic since its happened).

And it was witnessed by her friends who watched her die in front of them. Judging by some of the actions people say they're doing to car drivers in another thread on here, she could have been simply doing the same? And we've all admitted to acting hastily through adrenaline fuelled anger.

Anyway, we're all rubber necking. It'll be on cctv and the police are investigating. But you're right, it felt like trouble last night round there.

I see what you're saying but I just got really fucked off with all the scumbags shouting bullshit and trying anything to kick up a bit more racial bollocks....
Way over the top.
If indeed it was just a horrible accident my heart goes out to the family but from the sounds of it she was acting a goat and paid the price. Then for people to start calling the police racists and murderers is just totally OTT

Pistonator said nothing about the dead girl doing drugs...
i think we should have respect for the family and friends of the girl and not start jumping to conclusions...

Nah, you're right. It crosses over with some of the work I do in Brixton and this morning's work chat has been all about it. I'll draw a line under it and stop posting.