Van driver heard motorcyclist shout out ‘milliseconds’ before fatal collision

An emotional van driver told an inquest how he heard a motorcyclist shout out “milliseconds” before hitting his vehicle in a fatal collision. Dedicated charity worker Brent Smith died at the scene of the crash in Station Road, Ottringham, on June 26 last year. The inquest, in Hull, heard how the van driver, a decorator, was performing a three-point turn outside his home when the collision happened. During the hearing on Monday, CCTV footage was played showing the moments leading up to the collision. The footage, which was edited to avoid depicting the moment of impact, showed Brent trying to avoid the van. Read more:Tributes paid to tragic dad who died in motorcycle crash on 'dangerous' stretch of road The van driver admitted to having had “five or six cans of Stella” beer the night before, but said he had gone to bed at 10pm. He said he felt “absolutely fine” the next morning. Breath and blood samples found he was below the legal limit at the time of the crash. The driver told the inquest: “I got into the van and conducted all my checks to see if there was any traffic coming and I turned on my screen wipers. I let a car pass and then I pulled forward while checking the road was clear. Station Road in Ottringham (Image: Google Street View) “I have done a three-point turn many, many times outside my house. I put the van into reverse and then the bike crashed into me. I did not see him coming towards me and I didn’t hear anything until he shouted milliseconds before hitting my van.” The driver got out of the van and went to the aid of Brent, but he rushed back to switch off the ignition as he saw sparks and feared an explosion. He returned to Brent and another neighbour – a medical professional – came carried out CPR and other treatment with the driver’s help before the emergency services arrived. The driver’s wife had also called 999. A post-mortem examination found that Brent died of multiple traumatic injuries due to a road traffic incident. Toxicology tests
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