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Motorcyclist died after being catapulted through air in Staplehurst crash

A motorcyclist was catapulted through the air and suffered fatal injuries when a van driver drove across his path, a court heard.

Christopher Worthington, 37, was riding his yellow Honda bike along the A229 at Staplehurst when it collided with a Ford Transit.

The driver, Steven Ormond, was turning right across the oncoming traffic and onto the B2079 towards Marden when the accident occurred in October last year.

Christopher Worthington, who died in the crash on the A229
Christopher Worthington, who died in the crash on the A229

A jury at Maidstone Crown Court heard Mr Worthington's bike collided with the front offside of the van.

The 37-year-old, who was married and lived in Jaggard Way, Staplehurst, died at the scene. His crash helmet was later found in a nearby hedgerow.

Ormond, 30, of Darwin Rise, Northfleet, was at the wheel of the box van owned by G Baker Roofing in Maidstone.

He later told police he had started to turn right when he saw the motorcyclist come "flying" around the corner but it was "too late".

Ormond said he tried to swerve out of the way but was himself moving too slowly.

He added he had not heard the motorbike approaching and estimated its speed as 50mph. The limit was 60mph.

A witness who just seconds earlier had pulled out of the junction Ormond was waiting to turn into later told officers the van was moving "extremely slowly" as it carried out the manoeuvre.

Ormond denies causing death by careless driving.

It is the prosecution's case that the collision was caused by Ormond failing to exercise the care and attention, in particular to the distance and speed of oncoming vehicles, that would be expected from a "reasonable, competent and prudent" driver.

Prosecutor Nigel May told the jury of 10 men and two women: "If Steven Ormond had been exercising that degree of care and attention, the accident simply would not have happened."

Emergency services at the scene of the accident on the A229.
Emergency services at the scene of the accident on the A229.

The collision occurred just before 8am on October 17 last year. Ormond, who was on his way to work and relying on his SatNav, had slowed down to a crawl and was indicating to turn right at the junction.

Mr May said it was as he started to move very slowly across the opposite lane that he "appeared to react" to the presence of the Honda.

"He tried to move back to his own side of the road but not in time to avoid the motorcyclist colliding with the front offside of his van causing him to catapult through the air, over the handlebars, and suffering fatal injuries."

A motorist travelling behind the van described it as having been driven "perfectly well" before it reached the junction.

But he said as the right turn was being performed "almost at a standstill", he himself spotted the oncoming motorbike and estimated its speed as 60mph.

The same witness later described Ormond as being "dazed and upset" after the collision.

A second witness saw the collision in his rear view mirror, having pulled out of the junction.

The court was told he had seen the motorcycle before he joined the A229 but judged it to be a safe distance away.

"He could see the van in his rear view mirror going extremely slowly, less than 5mph, and then creeping across the centre lane before swerving back to the left," said the prosecutor in his opening speech.

The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court
The case was heard at Maidstone Crown Court

"He estimated that the time that had elapsed between him turning left and the crash itself was about 10 to 15 seconds and that he had driven about 30 yards past the van at the moment of impact."

Neither the motorcycle nor the van had any mechanical defects which could have caused or contributed to the accident.

Ormond told an officer at the scene: "Just as I started turning right into the junction the motorbike came flying around the corner and I tried to swerve to my left.

"After I swerved he clipped the front of my van and that's all I can remember" - Steven Ormond

"After I swerved he clipped the front of my van and that's all I can remember. I'm just in shock. He came out of nowhere."

During a formal interview about three weeks later, Ormond added that before turning right he had checked his wing mirror to make sure no-one was overtaking.

"He said as he looked forward again and began the turn, the motorbike came around the corner, he saw him too late and tried to swerve out of the way but was moving too slowly," said Mr May.

"He thought if he was moving faster he could have avoided the collision....He described making the turn at a rolling pace and that his view was restricted by the left-hand bend in the road."

The trial continues.

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