news, crime

A man has broken down in tears as he remembered almost hitting British ultra-endurance cyclist Mike Hall a short time before he was killed when struck by a car. The respected rider was running second in the 5500-kilometre Indian Pacific Wheel Race on March 31 last year when he died from massive head injuries after being hit from behind near Canberra. The vehicle was driven by Shegu Bobb, 19 at the time, who told police he thought he had hit a kangaroo when he fatally struck Hall at 6.22am. During an inquest on Tuesday, witnesses gave conflicting accounts of Hall's visibility on the morning he rode on the Monaro Highway. Joseph Spulak was moved to tears as he relived almost hitting Hall during his morning commute from Cooma to Canberra. "It could have been me. I could have hit him. I just couldn't believe it," Mr Spulak said. He said despite having his high beams on, Hall "came out of nowhere" and didn't appear to be wearing reflective clothing or strips. Ashley Crivici said he swerved to avoid Hall about 20 minutes before his death after initially believing he had seen a deer. "It was the brightness of a candle," he said. Truck driver Anthony Shoard said Hall was "so close" when he cut across him to make a turn at 4.30am at an intersection near Michaelago, about 50 kilometres south of Canberra. "He cut it very fine," Mr Shoard said. But other drivers remember seeing visible reflective strips on his arms and legs. Jennifer Perrin spotted Hall on her way to work in Canberra, saying while it was odd to see a cyclist on that stretch of the highway in the dark, he was wearing reflective strips. Anthony Maxwell also passed Hall that morning. He noticed the bicycle had a bright rear red light and a forward facing white light. Mr Maxwell told the court he noticed reflective material on his legs, disagreeing that it could have been light shining off the cyclist's calves. But Michael Quis had his high beams on and didn't spot any reflectors, only seeing Hall at the last minute. "I wondered where the hell he came from," Mr Quis said. Outside the court, Hall's partner Anna Haslock, who has travelled from the UK to attend the inquest, paid tribute to the renowned endurance athlete. "Mike was a very experienced cyclist. He knew what he was doing," she said. "I know he would have been doing everything he could to look after himself on that race." She hopes his death will make roads safer for cyclists but doesn't believe the Fremantle-Sydney race was much riskier than riding to work. AAP

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