Raunds man died in tragic scooter accident on A14, inquest hears

Peter Brown, 64, of Poplars Close, died after the crash on the A14 between Junctions 12 and 13 on July 29 this year.

An inquest in Kettering yesterday (Thursday) heard how Mr Brown had been riding on the inside lane on his green LML 125 CC scooter, which he had only had for two weeks, when he came off at about 1.40pm.

Vehicles stopped to help and Mr Brown was treated by paramedics, but he died shortly after the collision from head and chest injuries.

Alec Bradshaw, who was driving behind Mr Brown, said he saw Mr Brown’s vehicle “violently wobble”, as if he had a flat tyre, before he came off.

Mr Brown then hit the kerb before coming off his scooter.

Forensic collision investigator PC Cliff Wilkins said an inspection of the carriageway revealed scratches from contact between the road and the kickstart lever - which would have made the scooter wobble.

He said: “It appears his kickstart lever hit the carriageway.

“It’s highly likely that Peter unintentionally struck the lever with his foot when he lost control.”

An examination of the vehicle revealed corrosion of plates which held the lever in place.

But the vehicle was so damaged it was not clear whether this was a contributory factor to the crash, and such corrosion would not have been picked up on an MOT as it was behind the engine.

He added: “Having considered all of the evidence it is clear that he suffered a loss of control but we do not know why.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, senior coroner Anne Pember said: “We have heard that for some reason he experienced a loss of control.

“I am sorry that we cannot say exactly what it was.”