Accident verdict on bike crash dad

8:20am Tuesday 2nd September 2008

A YOUNG father was not wearing a helmet when the motorbike he was riding crashed into a metal gate.

John Scotson, aged 27, of Newton Road, Lowton, died after he and a friend had taken a Yamaha 250cc off-road motorbike for a test ride on bridleways in Pennington Country Park, near Leigh.

An inquest into his death at Bolton Coroner’s Court yesterday heard that Mr Scotson had given his helmet, gloves and riding boots to James Glover, who was riding pillion. Mr Scotson was hoping to sell the bike to Mr Glover.

The pair had met in the Robin Hood pub in Lowton earlier that day with two other friends where they had been drinking lager.

The inquest heard Mr Scotson lost control of the bike as he tried to negotiate a left-hand bend and it collided with a metal gate at around 9.50pm on April 28.

Returning a verdict of accidental death, Jennifer Leeming, Coroner for Bolton, said: “This was clearly a popular lad who had a lot of friends. I have no doubt that ordinarily he would have worn a helmet because he knew a lot about motorbikes.”