Robert Irwin Norton · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 30/8/17 I opened an inquest into the death of Robert Irwin Norton who, at the date of his death was aged 74 years old. The inquest was resumed and concluded on 14th January 20019
I found that the cause of death to be: -
1a Traumatic fractures of thoracic spine

I arrived at a conclusion of Road Traffic Collision.

At approximately 11.45am on 5th April 2018, Mr Norton was riding his motor cycle on the roundabout of the A644 Wakefield Road having approached the roundabout along Wakefield Road from the Cooper
Bridge direction. Mr Norton was travelling around the roundabout in the offside lane with the intention of joining the M62 eastbound. At 5is time the driver of a Volvo motor vehicle entered the roundabout in the nearside lane, travelling from the Brighouse direction with the intension of travelling straight ahead towards Cooper Bridge. The driver of the motor vehicle was travelling around the roundabout with Mr Norton driving his motorcycle alongside. Once at the entry to the slip road Mr Norton moved from his offside lane into the path of the Volvo resulting in a collision with the off side front wing of the Volvo and causing Mr Norton to fall from his motorcycle and collide with a wooden fence adjacent to the slip road, tragically causing him to sustain fatal injuries.
During the inquest I heard evidence to suggest that the road markings painted on the road surface were worn and difficult to read with the potential for causing motorists to be in the incorrect lane to exit the roundabout onto the entry slip to the M62. Given two lanes on the roundabout and two lanes on the slip road, I heard evidence that this could give the impression that the exiting the roundabout onto the slip road is possible from either lane.

To consider the existing legibility of the painted road markings
To review the existing road lay out in order to prevent potential confusion by motorists