A motorbike rider who was killed in a collision on the A38 on February, 16, 2017 died from multiple traumatic injuries,. his inquest was told this week.

HM Coroners Court in Plymouth heard evidence from witnesses to the accident which happened at around 9.05pm on February, 16 last year close to the Shell Carew Service Station near South Brent. Tragically, the driver of the car that hit Karl was a fellow member of the Plymouth Harley Owners Group (HOGs) and had been to the same meeting as him earlier that same evening.

The court also heard from pathologist, Dr Frances McCormic, a forensic vehicle examiner, Geoffrey Chapman, a forensic collision investigator motor police constable Hitchcock, and a police officer who attended the scene. A statement was read by the victim’s mother, Diane Chappel.

Karl Chappel, 49, an HGV driver from 31 Northill Close Brixham, was travelling Exeter-bound on the A38 on his Harley Davidson motorbike at around 9.05pm on the night the accident happened. He was travelling home after attending a meeting of the Plymouth Harley Owners Group (HOGs). at the Hunting Lodge pub in Ivybridge.

Karl had travelled to the meeting on his motorbike in convoy with fellow HOGs member. Mark Barzotelli who also lived in Brixham. The court heard a statement from another HOGs member, William (Wuly) James Ritchie, who had sat with Karl and Mark during the meeting on February, 16, and was the third member of the convoy. He said that Karl and Mark had ordered pints of Coke in the pub.

The HOGs meeting lasted approximately two hours and was attended by around 70 HOGs members. Among the topics discussed were the details of weekly rides and tours and plans for charity fundraising.

Towards the end of the meeting, Wuly said he recalled having a conversation with Mark about stopping to get petrol on the way home. In his statement Wuly said he believed that Karl was unaware of this conversation. The meeting ended some time around 9pm and Karl left the pub on his Harley, travelling Exeter-bound on the A38. He was travelling in the middle of a convoy of three motorbikes, with Wuly Ritchie in front and Mark Barzotelli behind.

Some of members who had attended the meeting that night travelled there in cars rather than on their bikes. One of these was Daniel Gerald Frayne who was a passenger in the car that hit Karl Chappel. He told the court that the driver of the car, George Walker, drove his Honda Civic, out of the pub behind three or four motorbike riders and onto the A38. He said that he did not see Karl before the car hit him, although he did see a glint of chrome and blue and shouted to the driver that there was a bike in the road.

The court heard that it was impossible to determine precisely what had caused Karl Chappel to lose control of his motorbike on the approach to the Shell Carew Service Station. The forensic collision investigator said it was “conceivable” that Karl was unaware that Wuly, who was riding in front, was stopping to get petrol and may have believed him to be taking the exit sliproad towards South Brent instead.

Karl may have been travelling too close to the bike in front to be able to slow down in time as it turned into the service station. The rider of that bike reported feeling a slight “twitch” as he turned off the road, which may have been Karl’s Harley clipping the rear pannier of his bike.

Whatever it was that caused Karl to lose control of his bike, it fell onto its side and slid for approximately 18 metres down the carriageway. Mark Barzotelli, who was riding behind Karl, said that the first thing he was aware of was the Harley on its side with Karl struggling to get out from underneath it. He told the court that he stopped to help Karl, but as he was reaching out to take Karl’s hand there was “an almighty bang and suddenly he wasn’t there.”

Karl had been hit by the Honda Civic, which was travelling on the inside lane of the A38 at approximately 70mph. He was killed almost instantly, sustaining injuries to his chest and stomach. It was a dark night with no ambient light. There are no streetlights on that stretch of the A38 and the coroner recorded that Karl’s clothing, which was all black including his helmet, was likely to have contributed to his poor visibility. Motor patrol constable Rooks, the officer in the case, told the court that the driver of the car would have had no more than two seconds to respond once he became aware of Karl in the road.

South West Ambulance Service attended the scene but Karl was pronounced dead at around 10pm.

Forensic collision investigation reports confirmed that there were no mechanical defects with Karl’s bike and nothing on the road that might have contributed to the accident. The weather was dry with moderate cloud cover and no fog. Karl was not suffering from any medical condition and toxicology reports confirmed he was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

In summing up, the Coroner, Ian Arrow, said Karl Chappel died of multiple traumatic injuries. He said that, on the balance of probabilities, Karl’s bike had fallen onto its side and slid for some distance before Karl was able to get up. He may then have inadvertently stepped into the inside lane of the A38 where he was hit by the Honda Civic. Karl’s dark clothing, combined with the lack of ambient light, contributed to the driver of the car being unable to see him in the road before the collision occurred. A verdict of death by road traffic collision was recorded.

Karl’s mother, Diane, prepared a statement describing Karl’s long-standing love of bikes. She described her son as “well-mannered and well-respected and said he put everyone else before himself.” She said she believed he was now “riding with the bikers in the sky.”

Karl leaves a wife, Susan Harrison.