Cyclist Arzu Karakoc: Truckie was on phone during crash, court told

A truckie was on the phone to a colleague when he hit a Melbourne mum who was cycling across an intersection, a court has been told.

A truck driver stayed on the phone to a colleague during a crash that left a Melbourne cyclist dead, a court has been told.

The inquest into the tragic death of cyclist Arzu Karakoc at Yarraville in 2017 began on Tuesday in the Coroners Court of Victoria.

The 35-year-old mum was heading to see a friend in Williamstown and was cycling across an intersection on a green signal at Whitehall Street and Somerville Road about 5.40pm on March 10, the court was told.

She appeared to stop a few metres into the intersection as truckie Prabhjot Singh turned left into the road and the truck’s trailer swung into her, coroner’s assistant Senior Constable Jeff Dart told the court.

The trailer knocked her off the bike, and as passers-by rushed to help the injured woman, Mr Singh kept driving into a container yard on the road, he said.

“Phone records identified that Mr Singh was on an active phone call from 4.49pm to 5.44pm during the time of the collision,” Constable Dart said.

Arzu Karakoc was cycling across an intersection in Yarraville when she was fatally struck by a truck in March 2017. Supplied

The driver was speaking to a colleague on the phone, he told the court.

Mr Singh was arrested and taken to a nearby police station after paint from his truck matched paint found on the bike, but he was not interviewed because an interpreter was not available.

Officers interviewed him 12 days later, but he told them he wasn’t aware he hit the woman, and even if he hit a “bump or puddle” he would feel it, and he would immediately stop and check.

Mr Singh told the police he did not see any cyclists and was aware he needed to give way to pedestrians at the crossing. No charges have been laid against the truck driver.

Three witnesses who saw the crash and the aftermath gave evidence in front of Coroner Caitlin English on Tuesday.

Mobile crane operator Ricky Young told the court he was waiting for a gap to turn left onto Whitehall Road when he saw the crash.

Police at the scene of the fatal crash on the corner of Whitehall St and Somerville Rd. Picture: Gary Sissons.

The woman was about one metre out from the footpath on the road when she was struck and went under the tyres.

“She was bounced around like a rag doll,” Mr Young said.

He told the court he pulled over, called triple-0 and ran to help the cyclist who was lying on the ground and covered in blood.

The bike was thrown about three metres away from her, Mr Young said.

“He was driving faster than what I would expect a truck to be going around the comer,” he told the coroner.

The crane operator was questioned about whether he saw the truck indicating or if the cyclist was wearing a helmet or headphones.

He said he didn’t see the truck’s indicator lights and didn’t think the cyclist was wearing a helmet. However, Mr Young told the court he believed she was wearing headphones at the time.

Police inspect the bike at the scene of the fatal crash. Picture by Gary Sissons

Labourer Tyse Plummer said he was behind the truck when he saw the woman crossing on a red flashing signal at the intersection.

He said the truck was about “80 per cent” through the turn when she moved forward and was too close to the truck to stop.

“The truck didn’t seem to me to being going too fast for his turn, I never saw the driver,” he said.

The inquest will continue on Wednesday, with the driver and the colleague he was speaking to during the crash expected to give evidence.