Driver jailed after loose trailer kills biker

Keith Smith stood no chance of avoiding the detached trailer, the court heard

A driver has been jailed for five years and eight months after a trailer he was towing broke free, killing a motorcyclist.

Keith Smith, 70, was "suddenly confronted" with the 18ft (5.5m) trailer on the B1202 near Market Rasen, police said.

Mr Smith died at the scene on 6 October 2021.

On Friday, Thomas O’Brien, 34, of Dear Street, Market Rasen, was sentenced at Lincoln Crown Court after being found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving.

Mr Smith was confronted by the trailer in the road at about 17:15 BST, the court heard.

The trailer had become unhitched from a VW pick-up travelling in the opposite direction.

Mr Smith's Triumph hit the front corner of the trailer and he was thrown from the bike, jurors were told.

He then hit a tree and died at the scene.

"Keith was our rock"

O’Brien told the court he had taken steps to securely attach the trailer, but CCTV recovered by police found he spent just 55 seconds attaching and checking it.

Giving evidence, collision investigator PC Godfrey Barlow said this was not enough time to carry out all the checks needed.

PC Barlow concluded that following extensive tests, there was no evidence of a component failure with either the tow bar, tow ball or hitch of the trailer and the detachment must have occurred as a result of the trailer not being coupled correctly to the VW by O’Brien.

Thomas O'Brien spent less than a minute attaching and checking the trailer, police said

A second defendant, Connor Janney, 24, also of Market Rasen, pleaded guilty to intending to pervert the course of justice.

He was sentenced to nine months' imprisonment, which was suspended for 18 months. In addition, he was ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

After the hearing, Mr Smith’s wife, Viv Smith, said: “My husband was our rock, this is the worst tragedy ever for our family to lose him in such unbelievable circumstances. We are all so devastated.

“He had a passion for motorbikes almost his entire life, from the age of 12.

“The only person responsible for this collision and the trailer becoming detached was Thomas O’Brien. He sought to blame everyone else, even my husband Keith.”