A 54-YEAR-OLD man has gone on trial this week charged with causing the death of a motorcyclist by driving carelessly along the main A4 road in Fermanagh around three years ago.

The motorcyclist, 48-year-old Brian Bernard Peter Lynch, from the Enniskillen area, died in hospital after he was involved in a road traffic collision on the A4 road, between Lisbellaw and Tamlaght, on November 15, 2014.

Joseph Keenan, of Lawnakilla Park, Enniskillen, denies causing the death of Mr. Lynch by driving without due care and attention on the A4 Belfast Road.

His trial opened at Dungannon Crown Court on Monday with the prosecution outlining the case against the defendant.

The jury of five men and seven women heard both vehicles were travelling in the direction of Enniskillen shortly before 5pm on the day in question, with the victim positioned behind the defendant’s car.

Mr. Keenan, who was was returning home from a football match in Maguiresbridge and had three passengers on board, encountered a slow-moving vehicle and waited until what he believed was an appropriate time to overtake.

However, it is the prosecution case that when Mr. Keenan pulled out, the collision occurred with the victim’s motorcycle, which it is alleged made contact with a rear passenger door.

Mr. Lynch was thrown from his Kawasaki ZX1200 motorcycle, sustaining very serious injuries, from which he died a short time later.

During police interview, the defendant told officers that he heard a “thud”. He stated that he did not know if Mr. Lynch had lost control of his motorcycle on the bend, or if the motorcyclist had been “going too hard”.

The prosecutor told the court: “We say he never glanced over his shoulder to check before moving out and the manner he did pull out did not comply with the Highway Code. He gave no thought to the motorcyclist or to a blind spot.”

On the second day of the trial, the court heard that a consultant neuropathologist, who carried out a post mortem, found Mr. Lynch’s death was caused by multiple injuries consistent with a road traffic collision.

The most significant was brain injury trauma, which usually renders the victim unconscious immediately, from which they are unlikely to recover.

It was noted even if this had been the only injury, Mr. Lynch was unlikely to have recovered. He had also sustained multiple fractures of his vertebrae and ribs, as well as his left arm and leg.

Meanwhile, a forensic scientist confirmed the motorcycle had been examined and was found to have no contributing factor to the accident.

Mr. Keenan’s Vauxhall Vectra was also inspected and scratches on the rear passenger door were noted, which was where the point of impact had occurred.

Otherwise, the vehicle was sound.

A police officer then took the stand and relayed the content of Mr. Keenan’s interview, which was conducted in Omagh PSNI Station in January 2015.

The defendant became very emotional and placed his hands over his face as the details of the incident contained within his statement were read to the court.

During the interview, Mr. Keenan had said: “I indicated and pulled out and started my overtake. I heard this wee thud on the door behind me. All I could see was this poor fella on the bike. That’s when the trauma begins for me. He was doing his best to hold on. But he slid and the bike went through the fence, which smashed up.

“That poor fella went off. Whether he lost control of the bike, or came on too hard and lost it. I got the shock of my life when I saw him alongside me.”

The trial continues.