Mother of cyclist killed in bin lorry collision calls for better safety measures

Jack Bruce was only 19 when he died after his bike collided with the side of a refuse truck that had unexpectedly turned into a side street in Swanley, Kent, to avoid queuing traffic on the main road.

Keen cyclist Jack, described as “kind and loving” by his family, was only two days away from taking up a place at Swansea University when he died, in September 2021, and was on his way to pick up a laptop for his studies when the tragedy occurred.

Investigations found that the lorry, which was fully laden and was returning to the depot at around 11.30am, had one of its mirrors “so poorly adjusted as to be effectively unusable” – meaning the side with which Jack collided was covered by just one smaller wing mirror. There was also evidence, from CCTV footage, that the vehicle indicated to turn left only moments before the turn.

Despite the manner of Jack’s death, his family do not feel they have had any accountability, with no sanctions or charges against either the driver or Sevenoaks District Council.

Now, Jack’s mother Yvonne is calling for better safety precautions to be taken on bin lorries, and for better standards of training to be implemented, as a legacy to her beloved son.

“We have never managed to get anyone to be held accountable for what happened to Jack, but we want to see changes made to prevent another family having to live with the loss of a loved one,” says Yvonne, from Wilmington.

“A life has been lost here, and I really hoped the local authority would reach out to us, to work together to look at any ways we can improve safety for the benefit of everyone – but this hasn’t happened. I really want to see action taken.

“Local authorities need to be following strict guidelines around training for drivers in charge of such huge and heavy vehicles – in Jack’s case, they couldn’t tell us how often such training was carried out or what it involved, but councils should be held to account over this. Training should be regular and robust.

“Additionally, lorries should be equipped with safety features such as an emergency stop button and alarm for hazards around the vehicle. This could have made a huge difference, particularly in cases where the mirror was not adjusted as it should have been.

“Lessons need to be learned from what happened to Jack – this was so needless, and local authorities need to act now to stop this happening to another family.”

The Bruce family were supported by specialist law firm Slater and Gordon in pursuing action against Sevenoaks District Council, with Principal Lawyer Will Cornwell securing a settlement.

“Jack’s family have been left utterly distraught by the loss of their precious son, who was so close to starting the next exciting chapter in his life when this absolute tragedy occurred. The fact it was so avoidable makes it even harder to live with,” says Will.

“The fact that Yvonne is now channelling her energy into calling for better safety measures and training is really admirable, to help avoid other families from living with such devastation. We would echo her calls and hope that local authorities read Yvonne’s words and act in the best interests of cyclists, pedestrians and other road users in introducing and maintaining the best possible safety measures for their refuse vehicles.”