Biker, 69, died after his motorcycle toppled over and crushed him |
Robert “Bob” Wright, of North Acre, Caston, near Attleborough, was travelling from his home to Hampshire to visit friends last summer when the accident happened.
On August 2, the 69-year-old print engineer stopped in a service station where he pulled into a space with his Triumph Tiger.
In a statement to Norfolk Coroner’s Court, his wife of almost 40 years, Linda Wright, said she recalled him telling her what had happened next.
Norfolk Coroner's Court, at County Hall in Norwich. (Image: Newsquest)
“He pulled into a parking space and a person a couple of spaces away opened their car door,” she said.
“He thought he must have just got distracted and then realised the bike was leaning to the left.
“At the time he said he was having trouble holding the bike upright and couldn’t get to the footrest quickly enough. He fell with the bike landing on top of him.”
The motorcycle, which was loaded with his belongings and an almost full tank of fuel, was described to the inquest as being “heavy”.
A biker on a Triumph Tiger (Image: Newsquest)
Passers-by pulled the bike off him and helped him up. He declined an ambulance, but reported being “a bit sore” on his left side.
That evening, while out with friends, Mr Wright started “huffing and puffing” before becoming “pale and clammy” while appearing to be in “a lot of pain”.
He was taken to Basingstoke Hospital by ambulance, where it was discovered he had four broken ribs, as well as fluid and bone fragments in his lung. He was treated and discharged home with painkillers on August 7.
Two days later he collapsed in his bathroom and became unresponsive, the court heard. Despite efforts from paramedics, he died there shortly after midnight on August 10.
A post mortem report gave his primary medical cause of death as “hypovolemic shock”. Assistant coroner Robin Weyell concluded his death was accidental.
Paying tribute to him, Mrs Wright, said: “Bob loved and doted on his two sons and his grandson.
“He regularly went out on his motorcycles either on his own or with friends. He would tinker in the garage with his bikes, which had been his passion since a very young age.”