Inquest finds crash biker was well over speed limit

A Memorial Ride, hosted by Bike Life, Oxford, is to be held on August 28, 2018, on the anniversary of the death of Luke Portmouth, of Thame, whose inquest was heard today.

Image courtesy of Rorie Jeffs‎

The inquest was told that Luke, who died when he crashed his father’s motorbike, was travelling at over 60 mph before losing control of the bike and colliding with a lamp post.

The Oxfordshire Coroner, Darren Salter, was told by 18 year-old Luke Portsmouth’s father, Tom Portsmouth, that on the day of the tragedy, August 28, 2017, his son took off on his father’s black, Kawasaki ZX series motorbike, without his permission, while he, the father, turned away to make a phone call. The two had been out riding together, before pulling into the car park of the Thame skate park.

The only witness to the crash that killed Luke, Dr Emma Montague, said that she was driving to a friend’s house along the A4129, Tythrop Way, Thame, when she saw the teenager approaching in the opposite lane and that ‘his front wheel began to wobble’. She then described how the bike was ‘thrown into the air’ and the driver thrown from the bike.

Collisions investigator, Stephen Moffatt, reported that CCTV footage indicated that Luke was travelling at between 63 and 65mph in the moments before the crash. He added that it was likely that Luke had been in too low a gear when he accelerated, causing the front wheel to lift and the motorcycle to become unstable.

While he was an experienced rider, Luke was not used to such a powerful motorcycle, said Mr Moffatt.

The Coroner recorded death by road traffic collision.