The cause of a crash that killed a father will never be confirmed, an inquest has heard.

Ashford man Desmond Dawkins, 70, died in hospital after his trike flipped over in an accident on a country lane.

An inquest at Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone heard he had been travelling from his home in Willesborough to a motor vehicle shop near Canterbury.

A worker at Volksfarmers in Elham said the team had previously fitted a Volkswagen engine to Mr Dawkins' beloved Talisman trike, and that he had been on his way to replace some uncomfortable shock absorbers.

However, as he came around a tight corner on Sandling Road, near Postling, he encountered a two-car convoy coming the other way at about 9.45am on April 29.

The two cars – a Ford and Hyundai – were being driven by a mother and daughter travelling together and had both pulled over to allow the oncoming vehicle room to pass.

The Ford driver told the court that she had pulled over after seeing the trike coming down the narrow country lane.

"I turned my head and saw the bike hanging upside down in the air"

"It all happened so quickly, he passed me and then I heard a bang. I turned my head and saw the bike hanging upside down in the air before it came crashing down," she said.

The right rear wheel of the bike had collided with the rear of the Hyundai, causing it to flip and ejecting its rider, who had not been wearing a seatbelt as he was not legally required to do so.

The pair quickly phoned emergency services but Mr Dawkins, who had not been wearing a helmet, sustained severe head injuries and later died in King's College Hospital in London on May 8.

Investigating officers concluded that it was impossible to determine how fast the former builder and army veteran had been travelling, or indeed why the vehicle crashed.

The senior investigating officer told the court in a written statement that the Hyundai had been parked to the extreme side of the road and there had been enough room to allow the bike to pass.

Additionally, the road was in a good state of repair and the weather had been pleasant.

There was a scuff mark on a kerb suggesting the bike's left wheel could have hit it, thus shunting it right and into the car, but there was no way of being able to tell for sure.

Assistant coroner Katrina Hepburn said while driver impairment couldn't be fully ruled out, Mr Dawkins tested clean for alcohol and had no drugs in his system that could have impaired his driving.

Giving a short-form conclusion of road traffic accident, she said "I cannot give an explanation as to why he collided in this manner".

"I would like to pass on my condolences to David's family – it seems like this bike was a remarkable vehicle and that it really was his freedom," she added.

In a statement, Mr Dawkins' family said: "We would like to express their thanks to the member of the public who attended the scene, and the NHS staff that provided emergency care and support for Desmond.

"We would also like to thank King's College Hospital for the care given up until May 8."

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