Tragic biker was riding '˜too fast' to stop

Thomas McGuirk, 25, was travelling at more than 40mph along Larch Avenue in Worsley Hall when he crashed into a white Ford Focus driven by Sean Aidley at around 9.15pm on August 27.

Bolton Coroners’ Court heard yesterday that Mr Aidley had been edging out of Claude Street in order to cross Larch Avenue, which has a 20mph speed limit, because his view was blocked by parked cars.

He said: “I stopped at the giveway sign and looked in both directions as I always do.

“There was a car parked to the right blocking my view so I began edging out into the road and kept checking to my right and to me left. Then I just heard a bang.”

PC David Poole, from GMP’s forensic collision reconstruction unit, said that from his investigation it was clear Mr McGuirk, of Beech Tree Avenue, Appley Bridge, had seen the car and braked around 22 metres from it

He said: “Had he been travelling at 40mph he would have stopped two metres prior to the collision.

“At the time Mr Aidley made his decision to pull out from Claude Street the motorbike would not have been in view.

“The collision, therefore, occurred due to Mr McGuirk’s excessive speed which meant he was unable to stop in time.”

Consultant histopathologist Naveed Sharma who carried out a post mortem said that Mr McGuirk had suffered multiple injuries consistent with a road traffic collision but had died from a traumatic head injury.

He also said cocaine and cannabis were found in his system and had likely been taken in the last 24 hours which could have impaired his ability to ride his bike.

Mr McGuirk, a workshop manager, had been disqualified from driving in December 2014 for 12 months after being caught driving while under the influence of drugs. He was still banned on the night of the crash.

His dad Brendan McGuirk said his son was a competent driver who, apart from the one fatal occasion, had obeyed his disqualification order.

Assistant coroner Rachel Griffin said she was satisfied that the collision had been caused because Mr McGuirk had been driving too fast which may have been contributed to by the use of cocaine and cannabis.

She concluded that he died from a traumatic head injury from a road traffic collision.

She said: “Thomas’ death highlights the need to drive a motor vehicle within the speed limit of that road and the danger that can occur when people do not.”