A lorry driver has been charged with causing the death by dangerous driving of an NHS paediatrician as she cycled to work.
Dr Marta Krawiec, a noted food allergy expert and consultant, died in a crash at the junction of Southampton Row and Theobalds Road near Holborn on August 4, 2021.
The 41-year-old was on her way to work at St Thomas’s Hospital by bike at the time of the crash, having taken up cycling during the pandemic.
Kevin Allen, 68, from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, has now been charged with killing Dr Krawiec by dangerous driving, following an 18-month Met Police investigation.
Allen was at the wheel of the Mercedes HGV involved in the fatal crash, it is said.
He appeared at Highbury Corner magistrates court on February 9, and his case was sent for trial at the Old Bailey.
Allen did not give an indication of his plea at the hearing in front of a panel of three magistrates.
In the wake of her death, cyclists staged a protest at the scene over safety concerns, and paid tribute to Dr Krawiec as an “extremely compassionate, knowledgeable and positive doctor loved by her patients and colleagues”.
Dr Krawiec’s family issued a statement through the Metropolitan Police, saying: “Marta loved helping other people every day. She died on the way to her patients.
“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved daughter and sister.”
Allen is due to appear on bail at the Old Bailey on March 9.
