A skip lorry driver has described how he heard a bang and witnessed a motorcyclist being flung in front of his truck after a bike was struck by another lorry on the A14.
Wayne Smith was returning from the Whitehouse area of Ipswich to his firm's base at Tattingstone when the collision happened between a Volvo lorry driven by Sergejs Baikovs, from Boston and the bike ridden by Maurice Brame near the Copdock interchange.
Baikovs has denied causing 61-year-old Mr Brame's death by dangerous driving shortly before 6am on September 21 last year during a trial at Ipswich Crown Court.
READ MORE: A14 Ipswich: Sergejs Baikovs trial starts next week
Mr Smith told the court he had seen the motorbike in front of the Volvo in the inside lane shortly after he had joined the eastbound carriageway at the junction 53 Whitehouse slip road and was in the process of overtaking the Volvo when the crash happened.
However, he did not see the moment of impact as the bike had disappeared from view in front of the Volvo and Mr Smith's lorry was still behind the cab of Baikovs' truck.
He said Mr Brame and bits of debris were thrown into his lane, forcing him to bring his lorry to an abrupt stop some 20 or 30 yards from the prostrate rider.
"There was a bang and bits of plastic were flung out from the side of the lorry. A figure or something came out - clearly the rider - the bike was beyond him.
"I came to a stop probably 20 or 30 yards from the rider lying in the road in lane two. The bike came out from in front of the lorry into lane two into my path," Mr Smith said.
READ MORE: Ipswich news
He went to help Mr Brame and was joined by a trained first aider, while another motorist called the emergency services.
He also revealed a brake light on the back of the bike appeared to 'flash' shortly before the collision, though Mr Smith, himself a motorcyclist, said this could have been activated by a momentary touch on the brake pedal.
However, Sgt Mark Bassett, of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit at Suffolk Police, subsequently revealed during cross-examination by Ian Bridge, defending Baikovs, that the brake light had 'gone missing' after being given to a recovery firm.
Another police collision investigator, PC Andrew Fossey, told the court the Volvo lorry was fitted with a collision prevention system, which showed that the motorbike had slowed from 25mph to 14mph over a 3.4 second period.
READ MORE: Suffolk news
He said this system had automatically provided some braking during the collision, but there did not appear to have been any braking from the driver.
He added the system was designed to respond to larger obstacles in the road, such as cars or other lorries, but was not as effective with motorcycles.
In a tribute following his death, Mr Brame's family said he had been heading to work at GMA Haulage, where he had worked for 27 years, on the day of the collision.
The trial continues....
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