Motorcyclist killed on horrendous bend, inquest is told

Daniel Mark Hughes, 24, from Llanfyllin, died instantly in crash in June 2017.

The senior coroner for Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin, Mr John Ellery, said at the inquest into his death, held at the Shirehall in Shrewsbury yesterday, that the delay in holding the inquest was because of police investigations and court proceedings.

He said that the driver of the Hyundai Tucson involved in the collision just outside Oswestry, Mrs Susan Hewart-Chambers, had been charged with causing death by driving without due care and attention.

However, he said, when the case came to Shrewsbury Crown Court earlier this year the trial judge discontinued the case without it going to a jury.

The tragedy happened on the A483 Oswestry to Welshpool trunk road, at Sweeney, the inquest was told.

Mr Hughes had been travelling toward Welshpool when the collision happened at about 2pm on June 4, 2017, a Sunday. He told a friend he was just taking his bike out for a ride.

In statements two motorists who saw the motorcycle before the crash said it had been ridden at a safe speed.

Giving evidence at the inquest Mrs Hewart-Chambers said the exit from the bungalow where she lived onto the A483 was horrendous.

Swerved

She said on almost every occasion when driving to Oswestry, she would turn left out of the bungalow towards Welshpool and then turn right further down the road onto lanes to travel into the town.

"It is horrendous whether you are going left or right because of the speed people are going," she said.

She said on this occasion she emerged towards Oswestry crossing the Welshpool-bound lane.

"As I got to the other side a bike came around the corner so fast that he couldn't stop. He somehow swerved into me along the side of my car."

"After the point of impact it spun the car," she said.

Mrs Hewart-Chambers said she had her puppy with her in the car at the time but that it had been clipped into the seat tightly and had not distracted her.

Replying the questions from the Hughes family solicitor, she said she had had her glasses and her shoes on at the time of the impact but that they had come off in the crash.

The inquest was adjourned by the coroner for a date to be fixed.

After Mr Hughes death his family paid tribute to him saying that he was a young man with so much to live for, always smiling, and so full of fun.

"Whatever he did, he did to the absolute best of his ability, and in the words of one of his many friends, he was the best at whatever he did." the tribute said.