Motorcyclist dies after lorry crash (From This Is Cheshire)

Motorcyclist dies after lorry crash

3:20pm Friday 22nd July 2011 in News By Hannah Al-Taraboulsy

By HANNAH AL-TARABOULSY A MOTORCYCLING enthusiast died after his bike collided with an HGV, an inquest heard.

The crash happened after Michael Ryan, from Salford, got on to Woolston Interchange from Woolston Grange Avenue during evening rush hour.

The 60-year-old entered the busy roundabout at the same moment as a lorry coming from the Manchester Road entrance.

He then clipped one of the lorry’s right front wheels with his Suzuki Bandit.

Warrington Coroner’s Court heard last Wednesday how witnesses saw him sail over the handle bars and fall under the HGV on August 12, 2010.

Driver Darren Skerritt, of Heywood, Rochdale, did not feel the impact of the bike, which was on his blind side, but he did hear a smash.

He immediately got out of his cab and called emergency services.

Mr Ryan’s daughter Victoria, of County Durham, spoke of the mechanical engineer’s lifelong passion for motorbikes.

She said: “He was fond of bikes and they were his main form of transport all his life.

“He was an experienced rider and he also built them.

“We’re all keen on bikes and used to go on motorbiking holidays.

“We were on holiday with him a week before the accident.”

The crash caused hours of delays for commuters while the scene was closed off and examined by collision investigators.

A post mortem revealed Mr Ryan, who was married to Bernadette, died of multiple injuries. A toxicology report showed there were no drugs or alcohol in his system.

Coroner Janet Napier recorded the death as being an accident and said: “It’s clear you were a close family who loved motorbiking and you had a lot of fun holidays together.”