Rochester man who died in motorbike crash in M2 near Sittingbourne named for first time
A motorcyclist who died in a motorway crash has been named as an inquest opens into his death. The M2 was shut London-bound between Junction 5 near Sittingbourne (the Maidstone/Sheerness A249 turn-off) and Junction 4 (Gillingham, A278) following the crash, half a mile from the A278 turn-off, at about 6.30am on January 4.
Kent Police, South East Coast Ambulance Service and Kent Fire and Rescue Service all responded to the accident. Today, at an inquest was opened into his death at Oakwood House in Maidstone, with coroner Katrina Hepburn naming the victim as James Macfarlane.
The court heard the 29-year-old of Howard Avenue in Rochester was travelling on a Kawasaki motorcycle on the London-bound stretch of the M2. Ms Hepburn said the motorcycle left the services to join the carriageway and entered the first lane and tried to manoeuvre and overtake a lorry. The coroner explained that as the motorbike went to overtake "the back end of the motorcycle went out causing him to become unseated".
The court heard that James, a customer experience manager, subsequently impacted with another vehicle that was already in lane two.
Ms Hepburn gave his cause of death as multiple injuries, pending a toxicology report.
His full inquest has been adjourned until August 11 at Oakwood House for 10am. A police spokesperson said: "Officers attended alongside paramedics who treated the motorcyclist for serious injuries. He was declared deceased at the scene."
Officers closed the junction while an investigation into the circumstances took place. The accident happened on the same stretch of road where a young woman was killed in an accident on Christmas Eve.[1] A black Volkswagen T-Roc is reported to have collided with the central reservation before overturning.
The driver, a woman in her 20s from the Faversham area, was pronounced dead at the scene.
References
- ^ where a young woman was killed in an accident on Christmas Eve. (kentonline.co.uk)