Personal injury news

School gate motorcycle accident kills elderly man

Small children screamed in terror and mums tried desperately to cover their little ones' eyes as a motorbike spun through the air before crushing a 70-year-old man outside a Scottish school, a court has heard.

The tragic motorcycle accident occurred on December 10th 2004 and resulted in the death of pensioner Francis Kelly only yards from his front door. The force of the impact left him with a smashed skull and a severe brain injury, and paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to so anything to save him.

Appearing in Glasgow High Court, biker John Stevenson pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving after admitting overtaking a line of stationary traffic that was waiting at a junction. As he drove down the wrong side of the road, the 23-year-old collided with an oncoming car and his bike was sent careering into the air before striking the elderly Mr Kelly.

It emerged that Stevenson, of Cleland, Motherwell, had only been riding for a few weeks when the incident happened. He suffered personal injuries in the motorcycle accident and hobbled into the dock on crutches. Looking pale and lugubrious, he was told that he must await background reports before being sentenced.

A post-mortem examination carried out after Mr Kelly's death revealed that the cause of death was brain injury caused by massive head trauma.