Student, 21, was involved in a car crash while on his way to get root canal surgery
Student, 21, who was ‘queasy about needles and blood’ was involved in a car crash while on his way to have root canal surgery, killing himself and a junior doctor, inquest hears
- Oliver Knott, 21, overtook a lorry and hit a cattle truck on his way to the dentist
- Doctor Masie Ryan, 27, was killed when the cattle truck skidded into her Fiat 500
A young student who was ‘queasy about needles and blood’ was involved in a horror crash on his way to have root canal surgery at the dentist, killing himself and a gifted junior doctor on her way to work.
Tragedy struck when Oliver Knott, 21, overtook a lorry and hit a cattle truck while heading for a root canal surgery session which had been preying on his mind, an inquest heard.
Doctor Maisie Ryan, 27, was commuting from home to start her shift at a local hospital when the cattle truck skidded into her Fiat 500 after its steering was crippled in the collision,
Both Oliver and Maisie were killed instantly in the accident on the A65 Wharfedale Road near Addingham, West Yorkshire, on the morning of February 18 2021.
The inquest at Bradford Coroner’s Court on Monday, June 26, heard that Mr Knott, a talented footballer, had been ‘worried and preoccupied’ about the root canal treatment he was booked in for.
Student Oliver Knott, 21, (pictured) overtook a lorry and hit a cattle truck while on his way to the dentist for a root canal surgery
Doctor Masie Ryan, 27, (pictured) was killed when a cattle truck collided into her Fiat 500 on the A65 Wharfedale Road near Addingham, West Yorkshire
Senior coroner Martin Fleming speculated that he may have been ‘distracted’ by the upcoming procedure, causing him to lose concentration.
Oliver’s dad Craig Knott added: ‘We had no concerns about him. He was just a typical lad of his age. He was concerned about his dental work because he was queasy about needles and blood.’
Tragedy struck when Mr Knott’s Ford Fiesta was seen to ‘suddenly veer and cross to the other side of the road’.
It collided with the driver’s side of a green Scania lorry carrying 16 cattle driven by Anna Robinson.
The Scania crossed the road and hit the rear offside of a white Volvo HGV driven by Roy Clifford.
The Santa collided ‘heavily’ with a grey Fiat 500 driven by Miss Ryan, eye witnesses said.
Police crash investigator Robert Crispin told the Bradford inquest that the impact of the crash crushed the overtaking Fiesta,
It also broke a steering box on the Ilkley-bound livestock lorry causing Anna to lose control. She was also seriously injured and left dangling upside down her cab from hear seatbelt.
Recording a narrative conclusion Coroner Martin Fleming said: ‘Oliver tried to overtake a lorry and in doing so collided with a Scania HGV driven by Anna Robinson.
‘She lost directional control and collided with a HGV and then directly into the path of Maisie’s vehicle.
‘Maisie died instantaneously as did Oliver. Anna was very seriously injured and required extensive treatment.’
Oliver, a university student who grew up in Bradford, and Maisie, from Leeds, a doctor at Airedale Hospital, died instantaneously.
Both Oliver Knott and Masie Ryan were killed instantly in the crash, Bradford Coroner’s Court heard on Monday
In a statement, her father Paul Ryan, said: ‘Maisie was a selfless, loving young woman who aspired to be a doctor since she was 11 years old.
‘Her favourite time of year was Christmas and she loved to get her family together to celebrate.’
She was also dedicated to raising money for charity and helping people and broke off a tour of the South Pacific at the onset of the pandemic to help patients.
Mr Knott’s father, Craig Knott, said Oliver was a former student at Thackley Primary School and Immanuel College who found school easy and whose favourite subject was Geography.
‘A former teacher of his said he would make a great teacher because he had a great ability to command a room.’
He also excelled as a goalkeeper at Thackley Juniors. Although he was scouted by Guiseley AFC, he remained at Thackley to play alongside his friends and focus on his studies for university, where he went to Liverpool to study Geography.
References
- ^ Mark Branagan (www.dailymail.co.uk)
- ^ Louis Goss (www.dailymail.co.uk)