A CORONER issued a warning to bikers after hearing how a freak accident killed a teenage rider in the grounds of a North-East college.
Kevin Wright died hours after smashing head-first into a tree at Bishop Auckland College in July last year, an inquest at Bishop Auckland magistrates' court was told yesterday.
Witnesses said the 18-year-old packer, of Woodhouse Close, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, lost control of an off-road bike while waving to a friend riding behind him.
They said the bike hit either a manhole cover or a bump, and went into the tree. Neither Kevin nor the 14-year-old neighbour who was following was wearing a crash helmet.
Coroner Colin Penna recorded a verdict of accidental death, saying: "Whether off-road or on-road, motor bikes are things which have to be treated with great respect.
"They can be very dangerous if one has a momentary loss of control or concentration.
"There is a lesson to be learnt for other young people to take extreme caution when riding, because there can be hidden dangers which result in terrible disasters."
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