Matlock biker killed doing double speed limit

Nigel Duggins, of Sycamore Road, Matlock, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on Cromford Hill at 10.37pm on March 23.

The 60–year–old had been riding his Kawasaki ZZR600 motorcycle with friend Timothy Dalton riding behind.

Speaking in Chesterfield coroner’s court on Monday, Mr Dalton said the pair had been travelling up Cromford Hill in the direction of Wirksworth on the day in question when he noticed a Toyota Yaris at the edge of the pavement, looking like it was waiting to turn down the hill.

He said: “I noticed the car half on the pavement and half on the road, but Nigel had moved to the centre of the road to give it room.”

Mr Dalton said Mr Duggins was an experienced rider, but had only owned that particular motorcycle for a couple of weeks.

He added that the Toyota Yaris moved slightly, and he saw a gap behind it, which he immediately thought he could drive towards for safety.

Mr Dalton said he thought Mr Duggins had tried to turn into the same gap, however his front wheel locked up causing him to fall off it.

The motorcycle came out from underneath Mr Duggins and continued to travel up the road by itself, while Mr Duggins also continued to slide up the road without the vehicle, smashing into the side of the Toyota Yaris, which was in the middle lane, waiting to turn.

The driver of the Yaris, Kevin Watson said he was on his way to work at Willersley Castle on the morning of the accident.

He said he had checked both up and down the road before pulling out of his private car park on Cromford Hill, and was waiting for three cars on the other side of the road to pass before turning.

PC Iain McGregor, of Derbyshire police’s collision investigation unit, said that part of Cromford Hill has a 30 mph speed limit, and he had worked out that at the time of the accident Mr Duggins was doing 61 mph. He said that he worked out Mr Duggins would have had first sight of the car from 150 metres away.

“If I was travelling at 30mph I would have ten seconds to see it and react,” he explained, and added that travelling at 60 mph a rider would only have five seconds to react.

PC McGregor said Mr Duggins had been on the hashed white markings of the middle of the carriageway, where he would have had less grip.

James Newman, assistant coroner for Derbyshire, gave the cause of death as being multiple injuries. He concluded that it was accidental death.