An elderly cyclist died when he was thrown off his e-bike after hitting a ‘hole’ in the road.
Grandfather Robert Ingram, 75, died two weeks after he came off his bicycle on Cowling Brow, in Chorley, at about 10.30am on August 14.
He was seriously injured after hitting a metal fire hydrant cover that had sunk beneath its surrounding rim.
Mr Ingram died in hospital on August 31. A full inquest hearing is listed to take place on January 6, 2025.
Recent photographs show tar plonked over the manhole cover with ‘FH’ sprayed on top as a temporary safety measure.
But cracks have already started to appear, reported the Lancashire Post, amid a police investigation into the incident.
Lancashire Constabulary made its appeal last Saturday in which the force described how the pensioner had ‘struck a hole in the road’ and was ‘thrown from his bike’.
Sgt Helen Parkinson, of the Road Policing Unit, said: ‘This collision has sadly resulted in a man losing his life and my thoughts are with his loved ones.
‘I appreciate this happened a few weeks ago now but if anyone remembers it, saw what happened and maybe stopped to help, or who has any footage such as dashcam, CCTV, Ring doorbell or mobile phone footage then I would ask they get in touch.’
As the highways authority, Lancashire County Council has an over-arching responsibility for carriageway safety and carries out routine inspections of the roads within its network on a monthly, quarterly and six-monthly basis, according to the strategic importance of the route.
When it comes to traditional potholes the situation is more clear cut, with County Hall having a series of targets for speed of repair following a report or discovery, depending on the urgency of the problem and the classification of road on which the defect has occurred.
A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said: ‘We are very sorry to hear about this incident and our thoughts are with the family and friends of the gentleman who has died.
‘We are looking into the circumstances of what happened and will fully co-operate with the police investigation.’
Police asked anyone who witnessed the incident or has dashcam, doorbell or CCTV footage to contact the force on 101 quoting log 1330 of September 6.
Alternatively, the Serious Collision Investigation Unit can be emailed at [email protected].