L’ex campionessa irlandese di ciclismo dà la caccia all’autista che l’ha quasi uccisa

Imogen Cotter used to spend her days scanning the faces of strangers in search of the man who almost killed her. The one-time professional cyclist’s hope was to find him, “scream at him”, and to insist that he acknowledge the devastation he caused by ending her racing career.

“I used to find myself walking around Girona and I was always trying to see his face,” she said. “I was waiting for the moment when I would see him so I could go over and say, ‘Do you know what you did? Are you even aware of how difficult you have made my life?’”

But after moving back to Ireland and settling into a university course, she knows the plan that once consumed her would have brought no peace. She now hopes their paths never cross.

It was four years ago last week that Cotter stood on a podium to celebrate her career-defining victory at the Irish National Road Race Championships. That win had set her on a glittering path, signing with professional team Plantur-Pura for the 2022 race season and moving to Spain to elevate her training.

But 25 days after she arrived, a head-on collision with a driver travelling at speed on the wrong side of the road rewrote everything. The near-fatal crash, which has a close to zero survival rate, left her with a fractured femur, ruptured tendons and shattered patella. She had to undergo five surgeries and she is waiting for another operation. She still suffers from debilitating post-traumatic stress disorder that haunts her when she sees a police chase on television or hears an engine roar.

I remember Imogen posting injury pics on insta. Brutal stuff. Glad to hear she’s in a better place now and re-building her life outside pro cycling

> This area needs total reform also in terms of looking at how we punish drivers who kill people.

> We’re not giving them adequate punishment. We’re giving them a little slap on the wrist or you’re giving them a suspended sentence. I think drivers need to be aware of when they get behind the wheel of their car, it can either be a safe transport option or it can be a weapon.

> And if you’re going to go on your phone, you’re deciding it’s a weapon. The person that you’re trying to get past on the road is not just like a random object that you need to overtake. That’s a real person just like you in your car but they’re on a little carbon frame.

It’s not enough to punish drivers who kill people. The only way to deter dangerous driving is by enforcing and punishing people who drive dangerously, even when they don’t kill anyone. Unfortunately, the Gardaí don’t give a fuck.

When this happens the headline is always something like cyclist struck by car. Like the fucking car was a rampaging driverless maniac. Nah, cyclist was mowed down by an, at best, incompetent driver and hold them accountable.