Experienced motorcyclist, 78, died in collision with bin lorry near Shrewsbury
A highly experienced motorcyclist died after he lost control on a bend and slid into the path of a bin lorry, an inquest heard.
Retired engineer Barry Howarth Warner, aged 78, from Bury, in Lancashire, had been a rider since the age of 16 and he knew the winding roads north of Shrewsbury very well.
Five members of Mr Warner’s family told Shropshire and Telford senior coroner John Ellery at the inquest that they accepted that the crash with the lorry on the A528 Shrewsbury Road at Preston Gubbals on November 25, 2022 had been an “unavoidable accident” with nobody to blame.
They asked how the driver was and said they would be happy to talk about it if he wanted to.
The lorry driver was not present at Tuesday's inquest.
Mr Ellery was told that Mr Warner had been travelling south on his BMW K75 motorbike, towards Shrewsbury.
The white Mercedes refuse truck had just come from collecting rubbish at the Albrighton Hotel and was heading north on the winding road at about 12.22pm.
Mr Ellery said: “He appears to have lost control of his motorcycle as he was negotiating a left hand bend. It threw him into the path of the refuse lorry.
“The driver could do nothing to avoid the collision. That, sadly is it.”
The inquest heard police evidence that Mr Warner had lost control as he leaned over to enter the bend. He lost traction and the collision followed. Mr Warner was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Speed was not an issue in the crash, the inquest heard. The lorry had been under full emergency braking and there were no defects on the road, although it was possible that the dampness on the surface could have had an effect.
Mr Ellery was told that members of the public had tried to help Mr Warner before the arrival of medics but were unable to save him. The medical cause of his death was given as multiple traumatic injuries.
Members of Mr Warner’s family told the inquest that he was a “very defensive and safe rider” and said they thought leaves on the road in autumn may have contributed.
Mr Ellery concluded that Mr Warner’s death had been due to a road traffic collision.
