Bicycle's front brake failed in road crash

The front brake on a bicycle ridden by a teenager killed in a road accident in Wiltshire had failed, an inquest heard.

Kadian Harding, 14, from Steep in Hampshire, suffered fatal injuries when he was in collision with a Mercedes van on 25 July last year on the A4 near Marlborough.

The inquest in Salisbury heard evidence from experts who examined the Surly Long Haul Trucker bicycle after the accident and agreed the front brake had failed.

Chris Juden and David Price said the pinch bolt on the front cantilever brake was not tightened sufficiently and the brake cable had slipped. But they were unable to say – due to the damage sustained in the collision – what condition the rear brakes were in at the time of Kadian's death.

The hearing continues.