Motorbike death trial told driver pulled out

Jan 30 2008

A PRISON officer was killed when a car pulled out in front of his high-speed motorbike, a court heard yesterday.

Gordon Bowyer was riding to work along the A467 in South Wales when his bike is claimed to have clipped a Peugeot car in front of him.

Cardiff Crown Court heard Mr Bowyer died after falling from his bike and skidding into an electrical junction box at the road’s side in April last year.

The Peugeot’s driver, Christopher Browning, of the Highway, New Inn, Pontypool, denies causing death by dangerous driving.

Prosecutor Hywel Hughes told the jury, “At Crumlin, Mr Bowyer was going to turn right at the traffic lights and go east towards Pontypool and then to his place of work at Usk where he was employed as a prison officer.

“He never made it to work that day because he received fatal injuries as a result of the traffic collision that occurred on this stretch of the road.

“The accident occurred outside the Shell petrol station when a Peugeot motorcar driven by the defendant pulled out into the path of the motorcycle. The motorcycle tried to take evasive action and there was minimal impact between the motorcycle and the Peugeot.

“As a result, Mr Bowyer lost control of his motorcycle and when it collided with the pavement on the nearside, he was thrown from the motorcycle which careered along the road without him.”

Mr Bowyer was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport by ambulance but he never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead at 1.10pm.

Robert George told the court he was driving behind Mr Bowyer when the accident happened.

He said he was travelling at 60mph when he was overtaken by Mr Bowyer’s Kawasaki after a set of traffic lights. He said, “I would say it [the motorbike] was in excess of 80mph.”

Mr George said he saw Browning’s Peugeot car pulling out at the junction of the petrol station to travel in the same direction as the bike was heading.

“The motorcycle immediately put its brakes on,” said Mr George. “The motorbike began to wobble. He [the motorbiker] was trying to control the bike and he fell off. He slid across the floor and impacted upon a green box at the side of the road.”

When asked by Mr Hughes whether there was any contact between the bike and the Peugeot, Mr George replied, “It happened so quickly it was difficult to say.”

The case continues.