Biker, 20, dies after crashing into post on pitch black road

Christopher Bell, 20, of Brook Lane, Northwich, fell off his ‘dream motorbike’, a Yamaha 125cc, on April 15, last year.

The warehouse operative, who worked at a wallpaper paste company in Winsford, died on Liverpool Road West in Church Lawton, shortly after 10.30pm.

Jean Harkin, assistant coroner for Cheshire, is calling on road safety chiefs to see if they can improve the street lighting.

Mrs Harkin told the hearing in Warrington on Tuesday: “I will write to the highways authorities to express my concern about how dark this particular stretch of road is.

“It was so dark that members of the public who stopped to help had to put the lights on their cars on.

“There is no evidence that this was in any way responsible for this incident.”

Christopher’s mum, Delia Flinders told the inquest in a statement: “He loved motorbikes and kept them immaculate.

“He started riding dirt bikes when he was 11 to 14.”

The avid Liverpool fan completed compulsory bike training when he was 16 and bought a 50cc moped and a 125cc when he was 17.

“In 2019 he bought his dream motorbike, a Yamaha 125cc, and rode to college.

“He loved going out on his motorbike with his friends from college. He was a very sociable person.”

Christopher was riding ahead of a college friend on the night of the fatal accident.

His fellow biker told the inquest in a statement that there is a slight dip and bend in road they were on.

He said: “As I drove I couldn’t see Christopher in my wing mirror and realised he must have come off his bike.

“I didn’t witness the collision.”

One witness described how dark it was. He said: “It was pitch black. I was worried that the ambulance wouldn’t see the bike.”

Flowers and tributes were left at the scene.

Forensic toxicologist Philippa Wood found no drugs or alcohol in samples of urine and blood.

Biker Christopher Bell, 20, died after crashing into a post on Liverpool Road West in Church Lawton

Pathologist Dr David Butterworth carried out a post mortem examination and said the cause of death was massive head injury.

PC Michael Thompson, from the forensic collision investigation unit, examined CCTV but there was no footage of the collision.

He confirmed that Christopher had collided with a post, where he found black markings similar to his helmet.

An inspection of his motorbike found no evidence of any sudden, mechanical or electrical fault that could have led to a loss of control or failure.

The coroner reached a conclusion of road traffic collision and offered her condolences to Christopher’s mum, step dad Darren and uncle Mike Bell who attended the inquest.