Biker killed in Plympton crash suffered fatal neck injury after hitting two vans

A motorcyclist who died in Plympton after a collision with two vans suffered an "unsurvivable" neck injury. 

An inquest into the death of 27-year-old Courtney Richards has been held at Plymouth Coroner's Court, where Senior Coroner Ian Arrow heard from a number of witnesses as well as police officers and a civilian forensic collision investigator. 

Courtney Richards - Facebook 

Mr Richards, of Long Meadow Close, Plympton, was riding a Suzuki GSX motorbike on July 3, 2020, when he was in a collision on Hillcrest Drive. He hit the back of a Nissan panel van, which was turning right into Longwood Drive, and then headfirst into a Peugeot van, which was behind the Nissan. 

A post mortem undertaken on the body of Mr Richards, a civil engineer, showed that he suffered no fractures but Home Office forensic pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery noted "significant internal injuries" including an "unsurvivable" injury to his neck, which she concluded would have meant he "would have died very swiftly" and there was nothing that could have saved his life at the scene. 

It is reported that a number of witnesses recalled Mr Richards travelling at speed and in excess of the speed limit, but this is refuted by Mr Richard's mother, who attended the hearing. 

A witness statement from the driver of the Nissan van was read to the court, as well as a statement from the driver of the Peugeot van behind. 

Andrew Fletcher, a civilian forensic collision investigator, gave evidence, saying that "in all likelihood" Mr Richards was travelling in excess of the speed limit and if he had been travelling slower he would have been able to see the van turning and stop before the impact. 

The driver of the Nissan van was originally charged over the death of Mr Richards but that he was acquitted after the judge at Plymouth Crown Court threw out the case against him due to a lack of evidence. 

Mr Arrow said he concluded that Mr Richards died as a result of a road traffic collision, suffering a fatal neck injury and that on the balance of probabilities he had exceeding the speed limit, giving him little time to react to the van's turn across his bike's path.