Arabic version: سائقة تنفي التهم المتعلقة بوفاة راكبَي دراجات في كانبيرا

According to ABC News, Thi Phuong Ngoc Nguyen, 40, has pleaded not guilty to charges arising from a collision on Canberra’s Gungahlin Drive that killed two cyclists.

Nguyen was summonsed to appear in the ACT Magistrates Court on two counts of culpable driving causing death and one count of negligent driving occasioning actual bodily harm. She did not attend in person on Tuesday morning. Her lawyer, Mitchell Greig, entered not guilty pleas to all charges and sought a date for a pre-hearing mention.

The charges relate to a crash at about 6:20am on August 27 in Palmerston, in Canberra’s north. Five cyclists were struck by a blue Hyundai Accent on Gungahlin Drive.

Bridie Lee, 32, died at the scene. Ryan Riethmuller, 39, died in hospital a week later. Members of the public, including an off-duty nurse and police officer, assisted the injured cyclists while emergency services were awaited.

Lee and Riethmuller were members of the Canberra Bilbys Triathlon Club. Their deaths prompted an outpouring of grief in the cycling community, and hundreds of mourners took part in a tribute ride for the victims.

The case is due to return to court in January 2027.