Survivors and eye-witnesses have told of the sheer “devastation” caused by a horrific smash involving six motorcycles and a car which claimed the lives of two bikers.
The horrifying accounts were heard today (July 21) during an inquest held into the deaths of Nigel Davies, 48, and Stephen Hill, 49, following the crash on the A5104 between Pontblyddyn and Penyffordd in Flintshire on June 1 last year.
A collisions investigator said Mr Hill and his friend Ian Thompson had been “travelling too fast” to safely “negotiate” a bend leading up to the fatal pile-up within the space of just six seconds.
Mr Hill, a HGV driver from Frodsham, Cheshire, lost control of his Honda motorcycle and came off before colliding with an oncoming car, resulting in his instant death from multiple injuries.
The inquest at Ruthin yesterday heard his bike had crashed into a wall and then flew in the air before striking Mr Davies who was travelling alone towards Pontblyddyn.
The maintenance engineer of Abbot’s Lane, Penyffordd, died instantly of “massive front skull injuries”.
Mr Thompson, who escaped serious injury, also came off his bike which burst into flames.
David Holdsworth, who had been riding with his son, suffered life-changing injuries after performing an emergency stop to avoid the Vauxhall Meriva in front which Mr Hill had collided with.
His bike then struck Clive Yates, travelling in the opposite direction with two friends, who sustained a broken neck.
One of Mr Yates’s friends, Jean Medlock, described the scene as “devastation” recalling there was six bodies strewn across the road “dying or unconscious”.
A volunteer at the nearby Capricorn Animal Rescue raised the alarm and said such was the severity of the smash, he was unable to “process the images I was seeing”.
Lisa Dawn Rogers, who was driving the car involved, was travelling alone towards Treuddyn for work.
In a written statement, the home carer from Wrexham said: “I just tried to get out of the way but I couldn’t.
“I couldn’t see anything, just bangs and smoke. I heard a big thud, I heard a big explosion.
“The car was full of smoke. I just sat there and froze.”
Ms Medlock, from Warrington, was riding with friends Graham Crow and Mr Yates, and had tried to resuscitate Mr Davies.
She told the inquest she was travelling at about 50mph when Mr Hill and Mr Thompson suddenly overtook her.
“I thought oh my God they could have taken me out. It was too close for comfort.
“It was fast. It frightened me and it takes a lot to scare me. Mr Thompson’s back wheel started to snake.
“I do believe I saw a brake light. I just knew he was coming down. The back end started to come down.
“As he went Stephen came down a split second after him.”
She added: “We had four bikes and a burning bike coming towards us.
“I don’t know how I got through it. I was dodging bikes coming at me, bodies coming at me."
Mr Thompson, speaking at the hearing, said there was no intention to “spook someone” in response to Ms Medlock’s evidence, adding he believed they were travelling about 60mph.
Mr Crow had driven ahead of his two friends and turned back when they failed to follow.
He told the hearing Mr Davies “wasn’t going at any great speed.”
Mr Holdsworth, who was out with his son Daniel who escaped injury, has no recollection of the smash.
He had to have his lower left arm amputated and, among the many other injuries he sustained, he suffered a broken leg, collar bone and fractured vertebrae.
Clive Yates, who has 39 years riding experience, doesn’t remember anything. Due to his injuries he is still unable to work.
Michael Prime, forensic collisions investigator with North Wales Police, said in his opinion Mr Hill and Mr Thompson had both been “travelling too fast to have negotiated the left hand bend safely”.
Mr Hill, who was travelling in front of his friend, was likely to be driving close to 68mph when he began to skid, Mr Prime told the inquest.
He added there were “no road defects or issues that concerned me”.
Mr Hill’s partner Diane Hudson told the inquest: “Steve was a very careful driver. He wouldn’t have taken any risks, he really wouldn’t.”
North East Wales coroner John Gittins concluded both deaths were as a result of a road traffic collision.
