A cyclist killed in a collision with a tipper lorry in central London was a French-born mother-of-two.

Claire Hitier-Abadie, 36, died in an accident with a lorry at a busy junction in Victoria during yesterday morning's rush-hour.

It was the fourth cyclist death in London so far this year, with lorries being involved in all of the incidents.

Claire Hitier-Abadie, 36, pictured, died after her bicycle collided with a tipper lorry in Central London

Witnesses said that the lorry, pictured, began to move around the corner when it struck Mrs Hitier-Abadie

Mrs Hitier-Abadie worked in Grimsby for six years before returning to Paris in 2008. She moved from Paris to London last year with her husband Pierre, who works for Total Gas and Power at Canary Wharf in London's Docklands.

A colleague of Mr Abadie wrote on Twitter last night: 'Absolutely devastated. My colleague's wife was killed while cycle commuting this morning, crushed by a lorry.

'The boss came over to tell us as we all work on an open floor. It's awful at work. Who does her husband hug and cry with?'

The lorry had been driving along a one-way street close to Victoria tube station in south west London at 8am yesterday morning when it struck the woman on the inside lane at a set of traffic lights.

Mrs Hitier-Abadie was found unresponsive at the scene on Victoria Street, which has been covered by a makeshift tent by officers, and she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Witnesses described seeing the bicycle being crushed under the second set of wheels of the Gordon Plant Hire truck as it attempted to turn left at the junction.

Another cyclist is said to have jumped in front of the lorry to stop it moving further, but Mrs Hitier-Abadie had already suffered fatal injuries.

Carnel Jarca, a 42-year-old Big Issue seller, was stood opposite the crash when it happened.

Mrs Hitier-Abadie was declared dead at the scene of the crash outside Victoria Station in London

Witnesses said the lorry's driver, who is in his 50s, looked 'devastated' following yesterday's incident

He said he saw the driver - a man he believes to be in his fifties - get out the truck wearing a hi vis jacket and looking 'devastated'.

He said: 'I heard this horrible metal on metal sound and then I saw this other cyclist come in front of the lorry and wave at the driver.

'He had already stopped, but he stopped it moving any more. He had been sat at the red light and he had only just moved off. The corner is just too tight for a bike and a lorry together.

'The driver came out of the lorry and asked the cyclist what had happened. He looked under the lorry and just put his head in his hands.

'He looked totally devastated and astonished. He was in complete shock, I think he was horrified.

'He just went and sat at the side of the road with his head in his hands. There was nothing anyone could do.

'The other cyclist went to help as well but it was too late, she was under the wheels I think. The police, ambulance and fire brigade all turned up very quickly and started shutting off the road.'

Des Dacosta, a maintenance engineer who approached the junction shortly after the accident, said: 'I could see the bike all mangled under the wheels.

'I didn't want to look at the cyclist because I could tell it was a really serious accident.

'I work around here a lot and it's a very busy junction, all day and all night, it is relentless. It's just tragic, another cyclist killed in London.'

The incident happened at 8am yesterday as the lorry and Mrs Hitier-Abadie travelled down Bressenden Place (arrow shows direction of travel) but collided as they turned a corner onto Victoria Street (shown on map)

Police confirmed that nobody has been arrested in connection with yesterday's tragedy

Metropolitan Police said the driver was stopped at the scene but no arrests have been made.

The incident is being investigated by the Serious Collision Investigation Unit and officers are now appealing for witnesses.

Roadworks at the site have been in place since May 2011 as Victoria station undergoes extensive improvement works, with the project due for completion in 2018.

The crash is the fourth fatal incident to involve a cyclist in London so far this year and highlights the danger for those hoping to get around the capital on a bike.

On January 20, 29-year-old Stephanie Turner, a physiotherapist, was killed in an accident with a lorry in Stamford Hill in north London.

Then on February 2, music producer and sound engineer Akis Kollaros, 34, died after a collision with a lorry in Homerton in east London.

FOURTH FATAL CYCLIST ACCIDENT IN LONDON IN SEVEN WEEKS This morning's fatal accident on Victoria Street is the fourth involving a cyclist in 2015. Stephanie Turner, 29, was killed in an accident with a lorry in Stamford Hill, north London on January 20. Almost a fortnight later, on February 2, music producer and sound engineer Akis Kollaros, 34, died in a collision with a lorry in Homerton, east London. Four days after his death, 26-year-old fashion designer Federica Baldassa was killed in London's Bloomsbury square following an accident with a lorry. The spate of deaths so far this year is already above the average number nationally - a normal January would see 9.8 cyclist deaths across the country. Nationwide there was 13 deaths in the first two weeks of 2015. The total London cyclist death figure for 2013 was 14. Advertisement

Four days later, 26-year-old fashion designer Federica Baldassa was killed after an accident with a lorry in London's Bloomsbury Square.

AA president Edmund King said: 'Sadly, this tragic death bears all the hallmarks of the "typical" London cycle death - a female cyclist killed by a tipper truck turning left.

'These cases continue despite the AA's Think Bikes Campaign, the Metropolitan Police "changing places" initiative and other Transport for London and Department for London campaigns.

'We have distributed more than six million Think Bikes stickers to drivers to put on their side mirrors to remind them to think bikes but obviously much more needs to be done to stop this carnage.'

The spate of deaths is already above the national average - a normal January would see an average of 9.8 cyclist deaths nationally.

Cycle safety in London came to the fore in the autumn of 2013 when there were six cyclist deaths in the capital in just two weeks. But the total London cyclist death figure for 2013 was 14.

Carnel Jarca, a Big Issue seller, who was stood opposite the crash when it happened, said: 'I just heard this big sound, a crash, the sound of crushed metal'

Overall in 2013 nationally, there were 109 cyclist deaths, including six children, 3,143 serious injuries to cyclists and 16,186 slight injuries, making a total of 19,438 casualties, including 1,958 children.

Figures from Transport for London last month showed that cycling in the capital is now at record levels, having grown by 10 per cent in the last year.

Bicycles now make up 16 per cent of traffic in central London and 25 per cent at peak times on key routes.