Unlicensed motorcyclist killed in crash with van

Harvey Wilson had been found to be driving a bike designed for off-road use before a collision in July 2024

An unlicensed motorcyclist died from a traumatic head injury after he collided with a van, a coroner said.

Harvey Wilson, 19, of Elm near Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, was riding a Kawasaki KX 250F through West Walton, Norfolk, on 8 July when he lost control on a bend.

Norfolk Coroner's Court heard the bike was designed for off-road use its tyres were clearly marked "not for highway use".

Mr Wilson's helmet was found a metre from his body and police forensic crash investigators said it was likely it had not been fastened properly.

The court heard how the vehicle was not taxed or insured for road use and was not road legal.

Mr Wilson and his friend Bradley Didwell had purchased the bike the week before the collision and had split the cost between them.

The court heard they had practised riding the bike off-road several times.

Mr Wilson, who was a trainee electrician, did not hold a motorcycle licence and had not completed a compulsory basic training course.

The motocross-style helmet had been purchased only two days before the crash and Mr Didwell said he was not sure if Mr Wilson had fastened it properly when they decided to take the bike out, with Mr Didwell following in his grey VW Polo.

Mr Didwell said: "It was after he took that first right-hand corner he was out of my sight... when I went a bit further up the road that's when I saw Harvey had come off the bike.

"The helmet Harvey was wearing was not on him," he said.

'He was unconscious'

The driver of the van, Karl Pettifar said he did not recall the helmet being on Mr Wilson's head following the collision.

He believed Mr Wilson was "going too fast".

He said: "The bike went out from underneath him... I was already hitting the brake when I came to a stop."

He said he could see Mr Wilson's head was under part of the van.

"I do not think he was wearing a helmet, I remember seeing his ear... he was unconscious and I could not tell if he was not breathing or just about breathing."

The police forensic officer concluded there was nothing Mr Pettifar could have done to prevent the collision and there was insufficient time to react.

Mr Pettifar called for an ambulance and Mr Wilson was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn where he was pronounced dead.

Police said a toxicology report found there was no alcohol or cannabis in Mr Wilson's blood, and historical traces of cocaine use were deemed unlikely to have impaired his driving.

Coroner Johanna Thompson recorded a conclusion that Mr Wilson died as a result of a road traffic collision.