Motorbike wobble led to death of 20-year-old

Catriona Loughran • Published 11 Mar 2010 11:29

A young Newtownbutler motorcyclist died of serious multiple injuries sustained when a "front end wobble" caused his bike to lose control and hit a telegraph pole, a Coroner has concluded.

Ryan John Parker from Mullynagowan, died when his black Suzuki motorcycle hit a grass verge and crashed into a telegraph pole on the Concession Road, Newtownbutler on October 7, 2009.

His distraught parents Willie and Bernie, who are still trying to come to terms with the loss of their son only six months ago, sat weeping as they heard evidence at his inquest at Omagh Courthouse last Thursday.

The inquest heard how before the crash, Ryan texted his friend Neil McDermott to collect him in his van and take him to his brother Joe's house to collect his motorcycle.

When Ryan was dropped off, he only rode his bike a few minutes up the road when the collision with the telegraph pole took place.

Ryan's father Willie, told the inquest that on the evening of his death, he was phoned by his son Joe to tell him that Ryan had been in an accident and that he better go down to see him. When he arrived on the scene, he knew Ryan was dead.

He explained that Ryan, who was 20, was a motorbike enthusiast and had received his licence only a year ago and had hopes of becoming a primary school teacher.

Mr Parker said he did not believe his son was a fast driver and on illustrating this, he said when Ryan went out with fellow riders, he was one of the motorcyclists that would ride behind the group.

A few weeks prior to his death, Mr Parker told the inquest that he and his son were looking to open a race circuit for bikers to ride safely emphasising once again how conscious his son was of the dangers of motorbikes.

He confirmed his son was an experienced rider, having grown up with scramblers and would have rode often on the Concession Road and was familiar with it.

Ryan's friend Neil McDermott was the second witness to give evidence and confirmed Ryan had asked him by text to take him from his house to his brothers to collect his bike.

He said in a police statement read out in court that it was around 4.10pm when he and his other friend Ryan collected him in a van.

When they dropped him off, they continued to drive on the main Cavan to Clones Road when they saw Ryan riding passed them on the motorbike.

Within seconds, Mr McDermott said he heard a loud bang and asked his friend to turn his van around and when they did, they saw his motorbike on the middle of the road and saw a woman with her hands on her head and his friend lying dead on the side of the road.

He also told the coroner that Ryan had a good reputation as an experienced, safe motorcyclist.

The coroner then read out a statement from a witness called Hercules Leathem who was driving a vehicle along with a female passenger when they witnessed the accident.

He said in his statement that he saw that the bike had a "slight wobble" which caused it to cross the white line and take a sharp turn left where the rider spun with the bike in the air and crashed into a telegraph pole.

Sergeant Malcolm Fulton of Roads Policing Unit, Omagh conducted a typography of the road and said it was a straight road with a good road surface and was of standard width. He said road driving conditions were dry and clear that day and that it wasn't an accident black spot.

He confirmed that although the bike had modifications it had no defects upon investigation.

The coroner asked Mr Parker to stipulate whether he believed there could have been a problem with the bike when the conditions of the road changed as a result of the north/south jurisdiction.

Mr Parker said: "The road is changeable. I looked at it myself and other bike riders have said to me there is a hollow on that part of the road where it comes from a main road into a more narrow road."

The inquest then heard evidence read out from the deputy state pathologist of Northern Ireland Dr Alastair Bentley who concluded that Ryan died of multiple injuries sustained during the course of the collision.

He confirmed that the organs around his chest and abdomen suffered the most injuries and that his death would have been immediate. He also confirmed that Ryan tested negative for both alcohol and drugs.

Forensic Scientific Officer Steven Quinn investigated the accident and concluded that Ryan's bike made a "front end wobble" causing him to lose control.

This, he said, made the bike hit the grass verge and rebound in the air before colliding with the telegraph pole.

Such a wobble, he said would happen for a number of reasons such as steering, sudden acceleration, or braking but ruled this out after he could find no road marks that would have suggested this. Modifications on the bike, he said, could lead to a "front end wobble", but confirmed that all modifications on Ryan's bike were professionally done and could not have contributed to the accident.

He suggested that Ryan maintained a tight, steady grip and stayed with his machine in the hope of stabilising it, which resulted in him being rebounded in air with the bike and crashing into the pole.

He said this could happen to any experienced biker and when they try to correct it the onset can be sudden but "there's no way of predicting it."

Mr Quinn confirmed the bike had good integrity and that no excess speed was involved.

He noticed the tyre had deflated on the front wheel but said this would have been down to the impact of the collision.

The Coroner referred to the nature of the road between the two jurisdictions and asked him was it a concern. To which Mr Quinn replied: "There was no serious undulation, it was fairly straight, and the bike would have been able to cope with the change in the width of the road."

Concluding Coroner Brian Sherrard said Ryan died of multiple injuries sustained when his bike lost control due to a "front end wobble" and said it was an unusual case in that no negativity could be evidentially placed upon the deceased motorcyclist.

He said Ryan was not in anyway responsible for the collision and said "nothing could have been done" to save his young life in this "unfortunate sequence of events."

"It is a very awful set of circumstances and it is clear the bike was not driven in a reckless manner," he said.

Mr Sherrard offered his sincere condolences to the Parker family, who he understood were still "desperately" trying to come to terms with the tragic death of their son and brother.

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This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 11 Mar 10

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