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Tributes paid to cycle death student
9:15am Friday 20th April 2007
Comments (57)
The cyclist who died in the collision with a bin lorry in Oxford was a talented engineering student who saved a firm almost £80,000 a year during his work placement.
Tributes were today being paid to Tsz Fok, 22, a third-year at Worcester College, who died in the crash with a recycling truck at the junction of Parks Road and Holywell Street, shortly before 10am on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old driver of the truck was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving, and the police investigation into the accident is continuing. The driver has been bailed and no-one has been charged with any offence.
A post mortem has been carried out but Oxford coroner's officer Leslie Thompson said the cause of death would not be revealed until a full inquest.
Richard Smethurst, Provost of Worcester College, said: "Everyone at Worcester College is shocked and deeply saddened by the death of Tsz Fok.
"Tsz was an extremely popular and talented student who was held in great affection. He will be very much missed. Our profound sympathy goes to his family and friends."
Yesterday it emerged that Mr Fok, originally from China, arrived in the UK aged 12, and lived with his mother in the Birmingham area while his father taught design and technology in Hong Kong.
He was a child prodigy, gaining seven A grades at A level and 10 grade A*s at GCSE.
Mr Fok was also a talented musician and his ability on the piano helped him gain a scholarship to an independent school in the Midlands.
In 2003-4, before beginning his engineering, economics and management degree at Worcester College, Mr Fok worked for Engineering Firm Turner Powertrain Systems in Wolverhampton, and developed a new test programme saving the company £78,000 a year.
Mr Fok volunteered to take part in many different aspects of college life. He was treasurer of RAG (Raise and Give), the charitable fundraising arm of the Oxford University Student Union, Secretary of Worcester College's Junior Common Room, and Captain of Coxes for the Worcester College boat club.
Your Say YourOxford Mail
anda, OXFORD says...
4:40pm Thu 19 Apr 07
Oxford Student, says...
4:55pm Thu 19 Apr 07
Unknown, says...
5:49pm Thu 19 Apr 07
I feel awful with sadness and sorrow.
Alison, Reading says...
8:30am Fri 20 Apr 07
S. A. Hart, Solihull says...
8:37am Fri 20 Apr 07
jaul, says...
8:43am Fri 20 Apr 07
Joanna, Oxford says...
8:44am Fri 20 Apr 07
Alan, Solihull says...
8:46am Fri 20 Apr 07
I want to express my condolences to his family and his close friends, all of whom must be devastated
J, London says...
8:47am Fri 20 Apr 07
Andy and Tony, Wolverhampton says...
8:49am Fri 20 Apr 07
Caroline, Birmingham says...
9:51am Fri 20 Apr 07
Dave, says...
10:43am Fri 20 Apr 07
Alison wrote:Well done. Common sense and compassion prevails.
I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!
Angela, Oxford says...
10:55am Fri 20 Apr 07
Alison wrote:We should all take notice! Thank you Alison for your thoughtful note. We don't yet know what happened in this occasion, but just this morning walking past all the flower tributes at that junction, I could scream as I saw a number of cyclist still zooming by oblivious to the traffic, the red lights, the pedestrians.
I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!
Patrick Luk, Oxford says...
11:31am Fri 20 Apr 07
Ron Trussell, Sussex says...
1:04pm Fri 20 Apr 07
the trucks are exempted from side protection bars, ostensibly because they have to visit landfill sites, and might get bogged down,,,,
but it is plainly obvious that this exemption creates a recognisably OBVIOUS danger to pedestrian and cyclists ... many of whom have been dragged under thr reer wheels of this monster trucks ,,, which are often being operated on a "task-and-finish" basis .... which is incompatable with safe working practice ...
This is all about "saving money" .... another person will die within the next six weeks ....
Ron Trussell
Nic, Oxfordshire says...
2:38pm Fri 20 Apr 07
I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!
Well done Alison - there are so many victims in this case and we should not judge anyone until all the facts are known. My thoughts are with the friends and family of Tsz - no one should have to deal with a death like this. I also feel for the friends and family of the driver and the driver himself - to be involved in an accident which results in death must be awful.
Peter Hart, Boars Hill says...
2:57pm Fri 20 Apr 07
Angela wrote:My condolences to Mr Fok's family.
Alison wrote: I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!We should all take notice! Thank you Alison for your thoughtful note. We don't yet know what happened in this occasion, but just this morning walking past all the flower tributes at that junction, I could scream as I saw a number of cyclist still zooming by oblivious to the traffic, the red lights, the pedestrians.
Please let's not start a debate about cyclists. It's not the place.
James Devlin, says...
5:00pm Fri 20 Apr 07
I study on the same EEM course as him at Oxford, and it is no exaggeration to say he was destined for truly great things, whilst at the same time remaining genuinely humble welcoming, and friendly.
It is so sad to think that the life of such an amazing individual could be so tragically cut short. He will be greatly missed and fondly remembered by all thoise who knew him. My thoughts go out to family and friends.
Rest in Peace
Ankur Narayan, Oxford says...
5:43pm Fri 20 Apr 07
Here is a glimpse at the potential that real industry leaders saw in him:
http://www.nesta.org.uk/informing/articles/tsz_fok.aspx
I am truly glad to have know him for the short time he was with us.
Emily, Oxford says...
10:14pm Fri 20 Apr 07
http://education.guardian.co.uk/egweekly/story/0,,1076758,00.html
All my thoughts go to his family. What a loss.
RIP Tsz, Oxford says...
12:51am Sat 21 Apr 07
Hannah, Oxford says...
12:06pm Sat 21 Apr 07
Angela wrote:Alison, reading your post made me feel upset this morning and I have been trying to work out exactly why that was.
Alison wrote: I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!We should all take notice! Thank you Alison for your thoughtful note. We don\\\'t yet know what happened in this occasion, but just this morning walking past all the flower tributes at that junction, I could scream as I saw a number of cyclist still zooming by oblivious to the traffic, the red lights, the pedestrians.
I, like Jamie, knew Tsz from our gap year and I can honestly say that his degree and his place at college did not change him whatsoever. We are grieving for a much loved, very dear friend not a list of his achievements. I am assuming you are a friend or relative of the driver and it touched me to read your words about him because as yet there has been no mention of him and there is no doubt in our minds that he is suffering greatly as a result of what happened on Wednesday too. Whilst you are obviously witnessing your friend go through an extremely distressing time, the majority of posts on this wall that I have read are ones of grief at the loss of a much loved friend. Nobody has expressed any anger towards the driver because it appears to be just a very tragic accident, Tsz was in the wrong place at the wrong time and the consequences of this are devastating for all concerned. I can appreciate you are hurting very much at seeing your friend go through this but please don't assume that these messages are anything more than tokens of rememberence, there are no accusations of guilt being discussed here. My heart goes out to Tsz's family and also to the family of the driver. There are no winners here, everybody loses in one way or another and I sincerely hope the driver is being counselled at this time as the loss of one life from all of this is devastating, the destruction of another would quite simply be a tragedy. We are grieving for our friend and you are grieving for yours, we are all in the same unfortunate position. RIP Tsz xxx
Josie, Oxford says...
3:12pm Sat 21 Apr 07
Alison wrote:How utterly inappropriate. We've just had the life of a high-calibre individual who would have made lots of money and contributed so society a lot lost, thanks to a low-calibre lorry driver. And that's the real injustice here.
I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!
Josie, Oxford says...
3:12pm Sat 21 Apr 07
Raj,, Oxford says...
5:38pm Sat 21 Apr 07
Rob, In Oxford says...
8:35pm Sat 21 Apr 07
Josie wrote:And I bet you would be the first person to complain if your bins wern't emptied on time!!!
Tsz achieved so much more in his 22 years of living than that lorry driver ever did.
I never met the student who died nor the driver, however i can't imagine that the driver would have deliberately knocked him over or that the student thought he had right of way, we should never assume anything!
Adam, says...
11:33pm Sat 21 Apr 07
Haider, London says...
1:16am Sun 22 Apr 07
Keji, New YORK says...
2:00am Sun 22 Apr 07
Takshing & Ngaisze, New Jersey, USA says...
4:14am Sun 22 Apr 07
Lorraine, Suzhou, China says...
4:26am Sun 22 Apr 07
Brekki, Oxford says...
4:52am Sun 22 Apr 07
LI family, Kidderminster, Worcs says...
7:14am Sun 22 Apr 07
We'd heard the terrible news from a family friend and we are so sorry for your loss.
Such a tragedy for a bright young life, blighted by cruel fate.
Tsz was an example to us all and an exceptionally bright star within the UK Chinese Community.
Our thoughts are with the Tsz family at this time.
Claire, Oxford says...
9:01am Sun 22 Apr 07
Josie wrote:No, Josie, what is inappropraite, is that you are so narrow minded, that you think just because someone is not gifted in the same way as Tsz, who was clearly an extremely intelligent individual, is of low callibre. I do not know either person involved, but I do know that just because someone is not a high academic achiever, does not mean they are not a high achiever in many other ways. I think you are wrong to judge the driver just because he does not have a couple of degrees. Maybe you shoule think about what the injustice really is.
Alison wrote: I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!How utterly inappropriate. We\'ve just had the life of a high-calibre individual who would have made lots of money and contributed so society a lot lost, thanks to a low-calibre lorry driver. And that\'s the real injustice here.
Laura, Oxford says...
12:04pm Sun 22 Apr 07
Josie, Oxford says...
12:50pm Sun 22 Apr 07
Clearly you don't even know the meaning of the word "calibre", never mind how to spell it. I wasn't talking just about his academic achievements, but all the initiative he had to pursue extracurricular activities to further his career prospects. Tsz was perfect in every way, the most rounded, all-round-talented person I know. I can't think of anyone as high calibre as him.
Claire, Oxford says...
1:05pm Sun 22 Apr 07
Josie wrote:My apologies, I didn't realise it was a spelling contest, so I am sorry for the typo. I do believe they happen.
"No, Josie, what is inappropraite, is that you are so narrow minded, that you think just because someone is not gifted in the same way as Tsz, who was clearly an extremely intelligent individual, is of low callibre." Clearly you don't even know the meaning of the word "calibre", never mind how to spell it. I wasn't talking just about his academic achievements, but all the initiative he had to pursue extracurricular activities to further his career prospects. Tsz was perfect in every way, the most rounded, all-round-talented person I know. I can't think of anyone as high calibre as him.
Look, I just think you are being a bit hard judging the driver so harshly, when you don't even know him. He may well have a family who he has raised for example and seen that as an outstanding achievment made in his lifetime. I certainly would never want to take away the fact that Tsz was clearly an extraordinary person, but I truly believe that everyone has special qualities which cannot be measured, or have comparisons made in such tragic circumstances.
brother, London says...
2:55pm Sun 22 Apr 07
Josie, Oxford says...
3:45pm Sun 22 Apr 07
Whoopy, raising a family, just like everyone else does. That is no achievement. Being JCR Secretary =and= OUSU Treasurer =at the same time= as getting a 1st Class degree, now that is an achievement. Period.
Bhavin, London, UK says...
4:51pm Sun 22 Apr 07
May his friends and family find the strength they need during this unimaginably difficult time.
Laura, Oxford says...
5:03pm Sun 22 Apr 07
Dadio, London says...
9:15pm Sun 22 Apr 07
anonymous, says...
3:25pm Mon 23 Apr 07
Robert Warner, Henley-on-Thames says...
3:28pm Mon 23 Apr 07
anon, oxford says...
5:51pm Mon 23 Apr 07
Stop the ****'
rest in PEACE bro- an honour to have known you.
Thoughts with all families involved.
Timothy, Oxford says...
6:16am Tue 24 Apr 07
J, London says...
11:00am Tue 24 Apr 07
Robert Warner wrote:Quite hypocritical from the same person that wrote on another article on this site: "I am sorry that anyone should be injured or killed whilst on a bicycle in Oxford but, regardless of whether you are in a separate cycle lane or not, you should never, ever stop beside a car, lorry or bus. All of them have blind spots so even if the driver uses the mirrors well, you may not be seen. If you cannot safely move ahead of the vehicle and stop where you can be properly seen by the driver, WAIT BEHIND IT. This is basic biker's self-preservation."
I think that the contributor called Josie is well out of order. From what I have read of Mr Fok in these postings, I think he would probably have been offended to be compared with another human being in this manner. We have no idea who is to blame for this collision, if anyone, and there has been no coroner's verdict or court case. Let's just focus on Mr Fok, his family and his friends, and not discuss the rights and wrongs of Oxford's road users whether they be pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.
Alex, Leicester says...
11:58pm Wed 25 Apr 07
I only met Tsz once at a weekend with NESTA. He was honest and humble, and had great ideas.
His book that was his NESTA project was published only 5 weeks before his death.
http://www.nesta.org.uk/informing/articles/tsz_fok.aspx
RIP Tsz. My thoughts are with your family, friends and all who are missing you.
Dr. George Hau, Durham says...
8:31am Fri 27 Apr 07
Tommy was loving child and very devoted to his family. The week before he died he paid a brief visit to Hong Kong on learning his grandmother was gravely ill. He was the only child, and his passing away must be devastating for his family.
Rest in peace Tommy. You will be missed but not forgotten.
Anon, Midlands says...
1:18pm Fri 27 Apr 07
Finalist, Oxford says...
10:10am Wed 2 May 07
Timothy wrote:Please, if anyone reading this thinks that all the students here have this sort of attitude - we don't.
Tsz was an inherently superior human being. Intelligence, class, sophistication, calibre and pedigree. What a shame it was him and not someone else.
Who the driver is isn't important right now - this piece is about Cho, and nobody wants to blame or insult anyone else. Don't bicker, it's an insult to a very gentle person's memory.
Natalie, Luton says...
5:42am Tue 15 May 07
Alex, St Petersburg says...
9:15am Tue 15 May 07
Christopher, Solihull says...
10:43am Tue 12 Jun 07
Ash, London says...
3:05pm Sat 3 Nov 07
Share another laugh today..............
Pray for another wish today..............
Save another tear today..............
Live another life today..............
Fulfill another dream today..............
Who knows............
There might never be a tomorrow..........
XxX
Malcolm, Hampshire says...
5:19pm Wed 6 Feb 08
Josie wrote:How can anyone judge the drivers "calibre" aren't all me born equal? Furthermore, the statement reported from court this week by his cycling companion on this fateful journey reports that they were intending to continue straight on, if she stayed in a position of safety, then to use the above, Mr Fok made a choice which was obviously one of "Low calibre". Let's not look for sacpegoats, but respect everyones right to personal mopinion and remember that we must ALL bear the consequence of our actions, no matter how tragic it may be.
Alison wrote: I have seen all the comments and tributes to the cyclist, what about the driver, he is a nice bloke would help out anyone. Very caring it is an absolute shame and he is absolutely devastated. He does not have a degree or gone to college but he is a normal everyday bloke. Until such time as police bring charges he is INNOCENT!How utterly inappropriate. We've just had the life of a high-calibre individual who would have made lots of money and contributed so society a lot lost, thanks to a low-calibre lorry driver. And that's the real injustice here.
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kel, bic says...
3:22pm Thu 19 Apr 07