Locked brakes likely cause of bikers’ fatal crash, inquest told
A Bath student died after falling from his motorcycle and colliding with a car in “appalling” weather conditions, an inquest has beentold. Harry Chapple was travelling down Widcombe Hill on the evening of October 12, 2018, when it is believed his brakes locked. This caused the 20-year-old, from Maidenhead, Berkshire, to lose control and the Honda vehicle to fall out from underneath him. The hearing, at Avon Coroner’s Court, on February 28, was told Mr Chapple then slid down the road and into a Mini Cooper travelling in the opposite direction. The driver, Matthew Bartlett was travelling back to Bradford on Avon after having dinner with a friend in the centre of Bath. He said: “The weather was awful that evening, it had been raining on and off all day. I saw a single headlight further up (Widcombe Hill) - it looked like it was in normal working order. “It was towards the centre of the road, but still on its side.” Mr Bartlett decided to pull in behind a parked car further up the road, which runs from the University of Bath to the city centre, to allow the bike ample room to pass. He said: “The bike got to about 10 metres away and then skidded out from under the rider. “The rider went along the ground and into my front bumper. “The whole incident lasted seconds, from noticing the headlight until hitting my car.” Mr Bartlett and his friend got out of the Mini to find the rider lying on his back. “Another lady got out of a car, got some blankets and put them over the rider,” he said. “We called the emergency services. The rider remained in position for five-10 minutes until the ambulance arrived.” Mr Bartlett said he could not have done anything to avoid the bike. Mr Chapple was taken to Southmead Hospital but was pronounced dead in the early hours of Saturday, October 13, 2018. Mr Chapple passed his CBT bike test - compulsory basic training - in September 2018. PC Anthony Lewington investigated the collision for Avon and Somerset police, and attended the scene on the evening of the incident. He told the inquest said: “It was appalling weather. The roads were very wet, and it was extremely windy. However, the Mini was there to be seen, and the parked car was legal and lawful.” PC Lewington added there was no evidence to suggest Mr Chapple was speeding, and submitted three theories as to how Harry came to hit the Mini. All three centred on the brakes of his bike locking - to which he said inexperience was a contributing factor. “Braking is an important element of motorcycle riding,” he said. “It can be easy to snatch at the brakes or brake too heavily.” He said it was most likely Mr Chapple realised the brakes had locked and tried to fight it, resulting in the fall. PC Lewington added the poor weather was also a significant factor in the crash, and that after his initial loss of control Mr Chapple was unlikely to be able to recover. “It was just unfortunate that the car happened to be there,” he said. The coroner, Mr Peter Harrowing, concluded that the cause of death was a road traffic collision.