An inquest has been opened following the death of a motorcyclist on a main Carlisle road next to a secondary school as students were preparing to head home.
Emergency services were called to a two-vehicle collision, on Wigton Road, which involved a Ford Transit van and a Suzuki motorcycle, and occurred at around 3pm on Monday, March 21.
Jason Farmer, 33, of Carlisle was pronounced dead at the scene.
As an inquest into his death was formally opened this morning, Robert Cohen, an assistant Cumbria coroner, confirmed: “The circumstances reported to this court are that Mr Farmer died in the course of a fatal road traffic collision. He was in collision with a Transit van whilst riding his motorcycle.”
Mr Cohen referred to a witness statement from a police constable who detailed that the collision had occurred outside Richard Rose Morton Academy secondary school.
The officer stated he was on uniform mobile patrol with a colleague, and had been asked to attend the scene.
As the PC and a colleague were heading to Wigton Road, it was reported that the motorcyclist had been declared dead.
He subsequently identified Mr Farmer, whom he had known during seven years’ work as a PC in Carlisle.
Mr Cohen said he was satisfied, based on the circumstances reported to him, that it was appropriate for an inquest to take place.
The formal opening was adjourned to August 9 of this year.
Following the tragedy, a section of Wigton Road was closed for several hours while a forensic collision investigation was conducted.
Police also made a public appealing the aftermath to identify a second motorcyclist who, it is believed, would have witnessed the crash, asking that person to make contact with officers.
Anyone with crucial dash cam footage was also asked to come forward.
“Police are working to piece together exactly what happened, including in the time leading up to the fatal collision,” a spokesman had said, “and are particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have seen two motorbikes riding around the Dalston area or the vicinity of the collision on Wigton Road, in the time leading up to the collision.”
