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[Andy H]

Driving home from work along a Cornish A road in the dark this evening.

100 yards ahead of me, near the crest of a hill & next to a turning it all got a bit weird. Two cars drove off the road and onto the grass. I stopped behind a transit. Oncoming cars had all stopped, some drivers got out and ran across to something I couldn't see.

After about 10 minutes the transit driver did a 3 point turn and left leaving me looking at a bike lying in the road. No sign of the rider so I assumed he was sat at the side of the road with all the people who had got out of their cars.

After about 20 minutes an ambulance approached from behind and parked in front of me and more blue lights came from the other direction. The crew spent about 15 minutes in front of the ambulance where I couldn't see them before they brought the stretcher back again with someone on it wrapped head to toe in a blanket.

Road is closed to all traffic now....

[05omegav6]

Did you get the Transits number plate? Driver would have had a pretty good view...

[Andy H]

I can't imagine them taking statements this evening. Traffic was queued for a mile in either direction when I finally gave up waiting and did my own 3 point turn. There will be an "appeal for witnesses" sign with a phone number on it in a few days time (maybe)

[Andy H]

Just re-read my original post, I don't think the van was a part of what happened. It just happened to arrive at the scene before I did.

[05omegav6]

I wasn't suggesting it was merely that the driver would have likely had a decent view...

[Kevin Wood]

Likely a fatality if they closed the road.

[Vamps]

Likely a fatality if they closed the road.

Sadly yes..........

[tunnie]

Reading stuff like this, really puts me off riding the bike 

[05omegav6]

Reading stuff like this, really puts me off riding the bike 

That's because most of your brain is still connected motorbicyclists here aboots have an attrition rate of over one a week in the summer months... fairly sure most are self inflicted

[tunnie]

Reading stuff like this, really puts me off riding the bike 

That's because most of your brain is still connected motorbicyclists here aboots have an attrition rate of over one a week in the summer months... fairly sure most are self inflicted

That's what I tell myself, as often pointed out here, the bike I have is not exactly fast. But still any accident is going to hurt, badly. I keep over-taking to when I know 100% it's clear and safe, but still...... 

[Andy H]

Reading stuff like this, really puts me off riding the bike 

I feel exactly the same. 20 years ago I was riding 12,000 miles a year in and around central London and was perfectly happy to go anywhere anytime on it.

Since I moved to Cornwall I have ridden about 200 miles. Last time I rode it was 3 years ago. On that occasion I was forced into the gutter by an old bat in a Micra moving in to my lane to squeeze past a car turning right at a no-right-turn sign 

[Andy H]

Local news is now reporting 'life changing but not life threatening injuries' so not as bad as I assumed.

[05omegav6]

Local news is now reporting 'life changing but not life threatening injuries' so not as bad as I assumed.

On balance I would prefer to be dead than a quadraplegic... but if it is someone elses fault any little detail, however minute is the difference between life changing being bearable or not which is what would have made anything the van driver might have seen so important

Too busy to be taking statements is a nonsense, as the Police prefer the details fresh... tend to be much more accurate than after a few days

[Andy H]

In the time I was sat there I didn't see any police (but I assume the blue lights that came from the other direction must have been because 1. that is where the nearest police station is and 2. I believe that the dispatchers would have called for police to any RTA that needs an ambulance)

Life is subtly different here in Cornwall to how it is upcountry. I used to live in Dunstable and an incident like this would have had an obvious uniformed response in minutes. Moving down here was is like stepping back in time about 30 years. Sometimes it is wonderful, other times scary.

[Webby the Bear]

A real shame. It always scares me when I hear stuff like this...

Any accident of any kind can range from really bad to dead. VERY scary