‘Perfect’ Wiltshire dad died in crash near village

56-year-old Owen Taylor was involved in a crash with a Ford Transit van on the A4361 at Winterbourne Monkton, north of Avebury, on August 30, 2024. Within minutes of the incident, police and ambulance crews were on scene and tried to save Owen's life, but despite their efforts he died of his injuries shortly before 8.30am. At an inquest in Salisbury on May 28, Owen's wife Carol Taylor paid tribute to "a perfect dad" who loved adventure and his family.

She said: "He was the sort of person that would do anything for anybody and if there was help needed, he was always there. "I lost count of how many cars he towed... Owen lived for his family and enjoyed life to the fullest.

"His motto was just f*cking do it... we all miss him very much." The scene of the crash (Image: Newsquest) The pair met in 1991 when Carol moved to Amesbury and Owen was working as a milkman, and they were married two years later and lived together in Salisbury. Owen loved the outdoors and took part in a wide range of activities, including mountaineering and canoeing, and spent summers in a mobile home in Devon.

A proficient mountaineer, he climbed the Matterhorn and was once awarded a medal for bravery by Bear Grylls after he saved a female climber during an expedition. His other love was his motorbike which he called Tango, and he was an advanced motorcyclist and a blood biker who had completed multiple safety courses. "Everything was about safety and it was a priority for him and other passengers to be safe.", added Carol.

The court heard Owen's bike collided with a van being driven from Wroughton to Calne by Craig Meredith. Suggested reading In a statement, Mr Meredith said he had been navigating a bend when a motorbike appeared, coming towards him in the middle of his own lane.

Mr Meredith said he steered left to try and avoid the bike but it clipped the right-hand side of his van and he pulled over and came to a stop. This account was supported by evidence from the scene and another witness who described Owen's bike as being "100 per cent" in the wrong lane at the time of the crash. Specialist collision investigation officers from Wiltshire Police attended the scene and found no defects with either vehicle likely to have caused the crash.

No alcohol or drugs were detected in Owen's system and neither vehicle was likely driving at excess speed. Police concluded it was not known why Owen's bike crossed into the wrong carriageway. The scene of the crash (Image: Newsquest) Area Coroner Grant Davies said there was no evidence Owen intended to take his own life by driving on the wrong side of the road, describing him as a person with a "great deal to live for".

He said: "I've heard no evidence... that he wanted to do anything other than get to work that day so I can discount that convincingly and very quickly." Coroner Davies described the circumstances which led to Owen being on the wrong side of the road as a "mystery". He added: "There was nothing to indicate there was any speeding going on or inappropriate riding.

"The only thing untoward was the fact he went on the wrong side of the carriageway for no apparent reason, he was upright so not messing around with any controls or answering a phone.

"There's nothing that tells me he was distracted from his riding that day... nothing that tells me a medical event occurred."

Coroner Davies recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision.