Virgin Exec Fined For Knocking Down Cyclist

Right Turn: Brander

A Virgin Atlantic executive knocked over a cyclist on one of London’s blue superhighways, causing permanent nerve damage to his elbow and snapping his bike in half, a court heard today.

University of Edinburgh graduate Laura Brander, 38, the Global Head of PR for the company, turned directly into the path of 49 year-old Daniel Steiner, who was sent crashing to the road.

He was travelling along the A24 Tooting High Road cycle superhighway on September 5, last year, but was struck by former BBC and ITN PR chief Brander as she turned her Mini Cooper into Totterdown Street.

Brander, of Moring Road, Tooting was convicted after a trial at Wimbledon Magistrates Court of driving without due care and attention and fined £1,000, with £750 costs and issued six penalty points on her driving licence.

Brander, who sits on the board of the Women of the Year Lunch award, claimed Mr Steiner was at fault for not braking and cycling into the rear of her car.

He told the trial he had already completed 100 kilometres of a club ride and was wearing a bright purple cycling top and his front light was on when he was struck.

“As I approached the junction all of a sudden I saw a car accelerating immediately in front of me. 

Cyclist: Steiner

“I remember thinking: ‘They are not going to stop,’ and I didn’t have time to brake and smashed into the side of the car with my shoulder and heard my bike frame snap.

“I smashed onto the ground and landed on my elbow and still have problems from that.

“I had a laceration down the front of my elbow and nerve damage at the end of my elbow, which is likely to stay,” Mr Steiner told the court.

“If I put my elbow on my desk in a certain position there is a shooting pain.

“The first thing she did was apologise and said she did not look to her left to see if there was a bike coming down.

“She offered to take me to hospital or drive me home. My elbow was bleeding and I was going into shock.”