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01-13-02, 10:17 PM
This story appeared in today's Courier Mail (Brisbane's main rag) and was reproduced on the bikeqld mailing list. It also made the national news (JJJ radio) this morning.
The most tragic thing about this story is that none of it surprises me.
Death driver already wanted by police
Ben Dorries and Jim Tucker
Courier Mail 14 Jan 2002
A WOMAN, 40, wanted in connection with the hit-and-run death of triathlete Luke Harrop already had an arrest warrant against her over a driving offence.
The warrant was issued when she failed to appear in court to face charges of driving while disqualified.
Mr Harrop's inconsolable family yesterday made the heartbreaking decision to switch off his life-support system, a day after he was hit by a car while training on his bike on the Gold Coast.
The popular sportsman, nicknamed Harry by the close-knit triathlon community, was pronounced dead at 1pm yesterday. His sister, former world triathlon champion and Sydney Olympian, Loretta, was by his bedside.
Earlier, two brain stem tests had proved negative.
Mr Harrop, 24, had been on life support since Saturday morning after he and fellow triathlete Craig O'Connell were struck by a stolen car as they were in a group cycling on a regular ride at Robina.
The woman motorist drove from the crash scene and was chased by a cyclist before she got into a scuffle with a man at a nearby fruit barn, then disappeared into bush.
Yesterday, police seeking the woman talked to her on her mobile phone.
Acting Det-Insp Bob Bennett said the woman had agreed to surrender herself to police but had failed to arrive at an agreed meeting place.
"She has broken an appointment to meet us . . . we had been urging her to come forward," he said.
O'Connell, 26, said from hospital the scene of the incident had looked like something out of a horror movie.
He said he heard a "horrible crunch", and turned to see Luke Harrop's bicycle on the bonnet of the out-of-control car.
"The next thing the car hit me and I went straight up on to the bonnet," O'Connell said.
"It carried me for a few seconds. Then I was dumped on to the road and I had to roll off and crawl out of the way of oncoming cars.
"It's pretty amazing that I'm still alive and not too badly injured."
O'Connell suffered fractured vertebrae and a fractured foot and even had cut marks from Harrop's bicycle chain on his back. He was later released from the Gold Coast Hospital.
Act Det-Insp Bennett said police knew the identity of the driver, who was believed to be from northern New South Wales.
He said witnesses reported she had been "fidgeting" in the car and had appeared to veer into the group of cyclists.
She abandoned the car, stolen on the Coast last week, and fled into bush near the Coco's fruit barn at Carrara.
Harrop and O'Connell had been training for yesterday's leg of the Australian triathlon series at Surfers Paradise.
Harrop's closest training mates choked back tears to compete in the second round of the series.
Emotions were raw and the grief all too public. It was only after the race that organisers broke the news that Harrop, 24, and the life of so many parties, had lost his fight to live.
Harrop had held the dream of representing Australia in triathlon at this year's Manchester Commonwealth Games with sister Loretta, the Sydney Olympian and former world champion.
She is inconsolable and there must be doubts she will race again after this latest tragedy.
Since the death of their mother, Dianne, from brain cancer in 1993, Loretta had been a mother figure as well as a loving sister to her kid brother.
She built an annual family get-together around last year's Noosa Triathlon and the festive atmosphere Luke thrived in.
"In the last two days, Luke has been surrounded by friends, family and the triathlon community. Luke's injuries were unfortunately so severe that not even his determination and strength could overcome them," the Harrop family said in a short statement yesterday.
"His love and zest for life touched everyone around him."
Olympian Miles Stewart broke down at the post-race news, race winner Courtney Atkinson barely held it together and tears flowed as the close-knit triathlon community went into tailspin.
"To me, this wasn't a national race . . . it was saying goodbye," a numb Stewart said as he was consoled by wife Kate.
"Luke was a great kid who lived life to the full. He never sat still for a moment."
Stewart, riding in a training pack behind Harrop, had attended his friend at the time of the hit-and-run at Robina when he sustained the serious head injuries that put him in the Gold Coast Hospital on a life-support system.
"Luke was a training partner of mine and very close friend to a lot of people in the sport," Atkinson said.
"The bike lap was a fitting tribute to him. I noticed some of the guys with a real sincere tear. Unless you are part of such a (close-knit) group, you can't understand what is being felt.
"Everyone went out there in that race trying to to win it for him. It didn't matter who did, it was all raced for him."
Harrop's flatmate Chris Hill, the world No. 1, withdrew from the race. The race numbers for Harrop's girlfriend Emma Snowsill and Loretta also were missing on a day when sport took a backseat.
Accenture Triathlon Series director Andrew Fraser said a formal tribute would be made to Harrop's memory at the third round of the series at St Kilda on January 27.
The most tragic thing about this story is that none of it surprises me.
Death driver already wanted by police
Ben Dorries and Jim Tucker
Courier Mail 14 Jan 2002
A WOMAN, 40, wanted in connection with the hit-and-run death of triathlete Luke Harrop already had an arrest warrant against her over a driving offence.
The warrant was issued when she failed to appear in court to face charges of driving while disqualified.
Mr Harrop's inconsolable family yesterday made the heartbreaking decision to switch off his life-support system, a day after he was hit by a car while training on his bike on the Gold Coast.
The popular sportsman, nicknamed Harry by the close-knit triathlon community, was pronounced dead at 1pm yesterday. His sister, former world triathlon champion and Sydney Olympian, Loretta, was by his bedside.
Earlier, two brain stem tests had proved negative.
Mr Harrop, 24, had been on life support since Saturday morning after he and fellow triathlete Craig O'Connell were struck by a stolen car as they were in a group cycling on a regular ride at Robina.
The woman motorist drove from the crash scene and was chased by a cyclist before she got into a scuffle with a man at a nearby fruit barn, then disappeared into bush.
Yesterday, police seeking the woman talked to her on her mobile phone.
Acting Det-Insp Bob Bennett said the woman had agreed to surrender herself to police but had failed to arrive at an agreed meeting place.
"She has broken an appointment to meet us . . . we had been urging her to come forward," he said.
O'Connell, 26, said from hospital the scene of the incident had looked like something out of a horror movie.
He said he heard a "horrible crunch", and turned to see Luke Harrop's bicycle on the bonnet of the out-of-control car.
"The next thing the car hit me and I went straight up on to the bonnet," O'Connell said.
"It carried me for a few seconds. Then I was dumped on to the road and I had to roll off and crawl out of the way of oncoming cars.
"It's pretty amazing that I'm still alive and not too badly injured."
O'Connell suffered fractured vertebrae and a fractured foot and even had cut marks from Harrop's bicycle chain on his back. He was later released from the Gold Coast Hospital.
Act Det-Insp Bennett said police knew the identity of the driver, who was believed to be from northern New South Wales.
He said witnesses reported she had been "fidgeting" in the car and had appeared to veer into the group of cyclists.
She abandoned the car, stolen on the Coast last week, and fled into bush near the Coco's fruit barn at Carrara.
Harrop and O'Connell had been training for yesterday's leg of the Australian triathlon series at Surfers Paradise.
Harrop's closest training mates choked back tears to compete in the second round of the series.
Emotions were raw and the grief all too public. It was only after the race that organisers broke the news that Harrop, 24, and the life of so many parties, had lost his fight to live.
Harrop had held the dream of representing Australia in triathlon at this year's Manchester Commonwealth Games with sister Loretta, the Sydney Olympian and former world champion.
She is inconsolable and there must be doubts she will race again after this latest tragedy.
Since the death of their mother, Dianne, from brain cancer in 1993, Loretta had been a mother figure as well as a loving sister to her kid brother.
She built an annual family get-together around last year's Noosa Triathlon and the festive atmosphere Luke thrived in.
"In the last two days, Luke has been surrounded by friends, family and the triathlon community. Luke's injuries were unfortunately so severe that not even his determination and strength could overcome them," the Harrop family said in a short statement yesterday.
"His love and zest for life touched everyone around him."
Olympian Miles Stewart broke down at the post-race news, race winner Courtney Atkinson barely held it together and tears flowed as the close-knit triathlon community went into tailspin.
"To me, this wasn't a national race . . . it was saying goodbye," a numb Stewart said as he was consoled by wife Kate.
"Luke was a great kid who lived life to the full. He never sat still for a moment."
Stewart, riding in a training pack behind Harrop, had attended his friend at the time of the hit-and-run at Robina when he sustained the serious head injuries that put him in the Gold Coast Hospital on a life-support system.
"Luke was a training partner of mine and very close friend to a lot of people in the sport," Atkinson said.
"The bike lap was a fitting tribute to him. I noticed some of the guys with a real sincere tear. Unless you are part of such a (close-knit) group, you can't understand what is being felt.
"Everyone went out there in that race trying to to win it for him. It didn't matter who did, it was all raced for him."
Harrop's flatmate Chris Hill, the world No. 1, withdrew from the race. The race numbers for Harrop's girlfriend Emma Snowsill and Loretta also were missing on a day when sport took a backseat.
Accenture Triathlon Series director Andrew Fraser said a formal tribute would be made to Harrop's memory at the third round of the series at St Kilda on January 27.