Tributes paid to female cyclist who died after collision with lorry in South London

Tributes have been paid to a 32-year-old physiotherapist who died after a collision with a lorry in London on Thursday, May 28.

Esther Hartsilver was critically injured in the accident while cycling in Camberwell, just yards from King’s College Hospital, where she worked.

Miss Hartsilver’s friends and family told the London Evening Standard of how she could ‘light up a room with her smile’.

>>> Female cyclist killed in London after collision with a lorry

Friend Haylee Palmer said: “It came as a massive shock to everyone. It’s an absolute tragedy. She was such a beautiful and talented person.

“Esther was the light and soul of the party. She was just a really good person. She had a way of walking into a room and lighting it up with her smile.

“She was a person who could make you feel so good about yourself and made everyone feel happy.

“She put 100 per cent into everything and took everything she could from life. Her family meant everything to her and they were incredibly close. She loved spending time with her friends.

“It was all about giving back for her. She loved her job and working for the NHS and she had worked really hard to get where she was.”

>>> Cyclist dies after collision with lorry in central London

A spokesman for King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said: “We have lost a dear and respected colleague.

“The thoughts of everyone at King’s are with Esther’s family.”

The driver of the Co-Op delivery lorry involved in Miss Hartsilver’s accident stopped at the scene by was not arrested.

Labour leader Harriet Harman, MP for Camberwell and Peckham, tweeted after the accident that lorries should be banned in London during rush hour to avoid such incidents.

Miss Hartsilver is the sixth cyclist to die on London’s roads in 2015, all of whom have been involved in collisions with HGVs.