Driver faces charge on star cyclist Carly Hibberd's death

AN elderly driver is facing manslaughter charges over the death of Australian cycling star Carly Hibberd in an Italian road crash.

cyclist Carly Hibberd

AN elderly driver is facing manslaughter charges over the death of Australian cycling star Carly Hibberd in an Italian road crash.

Brisbane-based Hibberd, 26, was training with an Italian professional team north of Milan when she was struck by a car on Wednesday.

Italian police yesterday revealed that a 70-year-old woman had turned left in front of the cyclist in the town of Lurate Caccivio.

Policeman Romano Capitanio, who tried to revive her, said Hibberd did not have time to swerve, and hit the car with such force her head shattered the right-hand window before hitting the bumper bar.

He said a Milan magistrate would decide whether to charge the driver with manslaughter. The woman had not been arrested because she did not flee the scene, he said.

"She wasn't drunk," he told The Australian. "She turned left into a side street and did not judge the distance between the cyclists, or else their speed.

"The first girl managed to swerve but the girl who was behind wouldn't have seen, and found the car in front of her.

"We tried to resuscitate her but the car had hit her head."

Mr Capitanio said the woman had been visiting a friend, and appeared to be in shock. "In my opinion, she still hasn't realised what happened," he said.

Friends of the Brisbane-raised rider yesterday described her as a determined and happy woman who never lost sight of her dream.

Hibberd was engaged to marry Cameron Rogers in October.

In a statement, her family said: "Carly was living her dream."

Hibberd's death has reopened old wounds for cycling coach Warren McDonald, who witnessed the death of Australian Institute of Sport cyclist Amy Gillett when a young driver plunged into her cycling team in Germany in 2005.

McDonald, Australia's former national cycling coach, coached Hibberd in 2009 and was Gillett's coach in Germany. "(Carly) was quiet and reserved, but when she got on the bike, she loved to race," he said yesterday. "I found her to be a real delight to coach . . . unfortunately she died doing her craft in Europe."

Hibberd's friend Maxine Seear, a former Olympic triathlete, said the cyclist had never lost sight of her dream to become a professional cyclist. "She was very determined and she knew what she needed to do to be good."

Cycling Australia chief executive Graham Fredericks said yesterday the entire cycling community was mourning Hibberd.

"Carly was . . . doing what she loved to do, and enjoying life," he said.

"Sadly that dream has ended."

Brisbane-based cycling coach Adrian Booth said his friend was adored for her dark sense of humour.

"It was a little bit quirky and a little bit dark," he said.

"She typically had a very wry giggle that would follow her cheekiness, but she was devoid of any callousness; it wasn't her thing."

A former runner, Hibberd came into cycling through a talent identification scheme, winning a scholarship to the Queensland Academy of Sport.

She won the women's Cycling Australia national road series in 2008.

This week's fatality has brought back unwelcome memories for the survivors of the horror 2005 crash in Germany that killed Gillett and injured five other Australian riders.

Former professional road cyclist Louise Padgett, nee Yaxley, who was badly hurt, said all road cycling accidents should remind both motorists and bicycle riders to respect each other and share the road.

Additional reporting: Peter Kogoy, Sarah Elks