Ellis Preston, 22, was thrown off his bike and found lying in the middle of the road about 60ft from the vehicle by another motorist who arrived on the scene a short time later.

The motorist called 999 and carried out CPR for 15 minutes until an ambulance crew arrived but Mr Preston died at the scene.

Ellis Preston died in a motorbike crash while travelling to work on September 3, 2025. (Image: Carole Preston)

An inquest into his death, held at Norfolk Coroner's Court, was told it was still dark when the crash happened and that rain and wind had made driving conditions difficult, with puddles on the road.

The crash happened on High Common, a narrow country lane with hedges on both sides, near the village of Cranworth, just before 6am on September 3 last year.

Mr Preston had left his home in nearby Hingham on his Honda XR125 to go to work at Allen and Page, an animal feed firm on the edge of Cranworth, where he was employed as a warehouse manager.

When he did not turn up, his boss contacted his parents, Carole and Mark, who went out looking for him in separate cars to check two possible routes he could have taken.

Ellis with his father Mark and mother Carole. (Image: Carole Preston)

His father took the shorter of the two routes and found the crash scene, where the emergency services were already dealing with the aftermath.

The inquest heard Mr Preston had collided with the limb of a fallen ash tree which had propelled him off his bike.

Gregory Day, a police officer sent to the scene, said in a statement: “He was in the road and unconscious. A large tree was laying across the road."

An investigation found no faults with the bike, which had passed its MOT on August 2025.

The report found “the fallen tree had inclined suddenly towards the road” and noted that Mr Preston’s “ability to recognise and react to the tree was disadvantaged by the conditions of low standing of light”.

Floral tributes laid at the scene following the crash. (Image: Henry Durand)

In a post-mortem examination, Mr Preston – who did not drink alcohol – was found to have died because of “extensive injury to the spine and base of the skull due to a road traffic collision".

Maeve Sykes, assistant coroner, said: “On September 3, 2025, Ellis left his home as usual.

“He collided with a tree that span across the carriageway.

Norfolk Coroner's Court, at County Hall in Norwich. (Image: Newsquest)

“He was travelling with his motorcycle along High Common at approximately 5.50am. It was dark during Mr Preston’s journey and there had been significant wind and rain.

“Mr Preston died at High Common as a result of his injuries caused by the collision.

“I will return a shortform conclusion of accident, a tragic accident.”

Mr Preston loved motorcycles, as well as gaming with his young brother, Louis.

He had been riding bikes since 2020 and was due to take his 'A' licence - allowing him to use any bike - on the month of his death.

His mother, Carole, said: “Ellis was a family man and loved living at home. Everyone said how lovely and friendly he was.

Ellis loved chickens and was considering a return to poultry work. (Image: Carole Preston)

“He was saving all his money, and him and his half-sister Nia were planning on getting a house together.

"He saved everything. He had plans for the future and it was only in the last year he had decided on these plans.

“He was just an amazing person. He was loved. He was happy and enjoying his life. He was always close to his friends and family and looked out for people.

Ellis and his half-sister Nia were planning on buying a house together. (Image: Carole Preston)

"He had grown so much in confidence in the last couple of years.

"He was on the cusp of so much and it is so unfair. Everything that could have gone wrong that day went wrong.

“He was a great person and made people laugh. He was the king of the one-liners.

 “I love him to bits and we miss him so much every day. Life is never going to be the same again.”

© Norwich Evening News