Biker fell beneath wheels of lorry in Brownhills death crash

Colin Conway made a fatal 'rider error' leading to the crash with the heavy goods vehicle driven by Barry Homer along the A5 Watling Street, in Brownhills.

Smethwick Coroners Court was told Mr Conway, 22, of Deakin Avenue, Brownhills, Walsall, had just left a traffic island along the route when the smash took place at around 4.20pm on October 7 last year.

The inquest was told the nearside lane of the carriageway was closed just beyond the roundabout as works were taking place.

But despite clear signs telling motorists the road became a single carriageway, Mr Conway has exited in the right hand lane and had to filter into the left.

Rather than slow down and filter in behind vehicles he had instead chosen to accelerate to try and overtake the lorry which was in front of him.

Experts told the inquest it had been an 'error of judgement' and there was nothing the lorry driver could have done to prevent the crash.

Pc Mark Crozier, a collision investigator for West Midlands Police, said: "It would have been a split-second decision on Mr Conway's part.

"He had two choices - to squeeze in behind another vehicle behind the lorry or to hold on the throttle and get in front of the lorry.

"Unfortunately he chose to accelerate.

"He clipped the lorry on the wheel arch which put him off balance. He entered the coned off section before hitting a heavy metal road sign.

"Mr Conway then came off his bike and went under the front section of the lorry.

"It was rider error. Mr Conway made an error of judgement. There was nothing Mr Homer could have done to avoid it."

Mr Homer told the inquest it had all happened very quickly.

"I looked in my mirror and he was just there," he said.

"He just ploughed into the cones. It was a split-second.

"If there had been any earlier sign I would have gone on to the pavement to try and prevent it."

Witness Jaskaren Dhaliwal who had been in a car behind the lorry said the Kawasaki motorcycle had sped up to get around the heavy vehicle even though there was 'not enough room'.

Assistant deputy coroner for the Black Country Mr Angus Smillie said Mr Conway had been declared dead at the scene.

A post mortem showed he had suffered severe injuries to his chest and abdomen in the crash.

Mr Smillie concluded Mr Conway had died due to a road traffic accident.

The inquest was told Mr Conway was a single man who lived with his parents.

Following the hearing Pc Crozier said Mr Conway's family had been left devastated by his death.