A 55 year-old Wiltshire man who was killed in 2021 when he crashed his motorcycle was speeding and had alcohol and cannabis in his system according to a coroner’s report.
Christopher Darren Dodd died from serious head and chest injuries minutes after he crashed his 2009 Kawasaki ZX 1400 on a bend on Trowutta Road near Smithton in February 2021.
Mr Dodd was part of a group of 37 motorcyclists involved in a charity event.
Coroner Simon Cooper said investigations into the crash determined Mr Dodd had been travelling at at least 124 km/hr at the time of the crash.
Mr Cooper said it was in excess of the lawful speed limit and significantly in excess of a safe speed to negotiate the curve where the crash occurred.
He said witness accounts confirmed Mr Dodd was travelling at an excessive speed immediately prior to the crash.
A report found the motorcycle was mechanically sound before the crash and road or weather conditions were not a factor.
Mr Cooper concluded Mr Dodd was riding one of the most powerful motorcycles commercially available and he crashed because he was travelling too fast and his reactions were likely to have been impaired by the alcohol and cannabis in his system.
