Two die in road crashes

The county's roads claimed more lives this week as two men were killed in horrific accidents on Wednesday.

Graham Whitfield, of Top Road, Rattlesden, died when his car crashed head-on with a lorry as he drove the wrong way along the A14.

Another man, Neville John Brind, 63, of Thetford, then died when his motorcycle was in collision with an HGV on the A134 between Ingham and Barnham.

Yesterday, tribute was paid to 50-year-old Mr Whitfield, who was described as a 'great friend and neighbour'.

"He was a great friend, a friend of the community," said David Piper, pastor at Rattlesden Baptist Church, where Mr Whitfield was a member.

"He was a good neighbour, a man who got on with everyone he met and he will be missed by all those people who he dealt with.

"It was a tremendous shock to us all when we heard the news and he will be greatly missed. It's just very, very sad."

Police are still investigating what might have caused Mr Whitfield to drive down the wrong side of the A14 during rush-hour. Shortly before, his car had been involved in an accident in Rattlesden.

His green Mondeo was involved in a collision with an on-coming lorry, bringing the A14's eastbound carriageway near Elmswell to a standstill at 9.20am.

The road was blocked for five hours as crash investigation teams assessed the scene.

Motorists on the A134 towards Thetford faced similar delays when police dealt with their second fatal accident of the day near Barnham.

Motorcyclist Mr Brind, of Elm Road, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened at around 12.20pm, closing the road.

n A male driver escaped serious injury when his lorry overturned at the bridge in Orttewell Road, Bury, shortly after 11am.

Anyone with information on the accidents is asked to contact the traffic unit at Bury Police Station on 01284 774100.

February 4, 2005 Buryfreepress, http://www.buryfreepress.co.uk

NEWS

Open verdict on biker's death

17 November 2005 09:00

Questions still surround the death of a motorcyclist who veered into the path of a lorry, an inquest heard yesterday.

Greater Suffolk coroner Peter Dean recorded an open verdict on Neville Brind, whose Harley Davidson bike drifted on to the wrong side of the A134 at Barnham, near Thetford, and collided with a Volvo lorry on February 2.

Mr Brind, 63, of Elm Road, Thetford, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, which happened at around 12.20pm.

The inquest at Bury St Edmunds heard that the driver of the lorry, Anthony Coe, had tried to steer away from the motorcycle after seeing it lean towards him in the road.

In a statement read out at the hearing, Paul Sparkes, who was travelling towards Bury in the same direction as Mr Brind, described seeing the motorcycle drift towards the lorry, which was coming from the opposite direction.

He said he expected the bike to correct its path, but it did not and "bounced" off the lorry.

Mr Brind's son, who is also called Neville, said his father had been notably distressed and upset when he was last seen on February 2.

Mr Brind, who spent 18 years in the Army, used to drive lorries for Thetford- based TNT but took early retirement in 1990 due to ill health.

As well as a life-long passion for motorbikes, Mr Brind loved photography and had enjoyed a career as a featherweight boxer in his youth.

In a statement, PC John Rogers, road investigator, concluded the crash was due to the actions or non-actions of Mr Brind.

"As the motorcycle approached the lorry, for no apparent reason it veered to the right and collided with the off-side of the unit," he said. "The motorcycle crossed the carriageway and came to rest in woodland."

Dr Dean said: "There are still some unanswered questions about how this took place.

"There was some anxiety and stress on Mr Brind's part, and no fault was found on the vehicle that would have caused this sudden change in direction. Our thoughts are with his family."

Archant Regonal http://new.edp24.co.uk/ November 17, 2005.