Collombatti motorcyclist death: Man, 59, found by riders he became detached from
A motorcyclist who died while riding in state forest 32km north of Kempsey was located by a group of riders who he had become separated from, police say. The man, 59, was found ejected from his bike following the single-vehicle incident. Police are investigating the cause of the crash.
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A motorcyclist that was killed while riding along a state forest road at Collombatti had been separated from a group who of riders, who later found him lying on the road.
“They are assisting police with inquiries,” Kempsey Police Inspector Clint Smallwood said.
About 3.30pm on Monday, emergency services were called to Wittigs Road, Collombatti – about 32km north of Kempsey – after reports of a motorcycle crash.
Police were told the rider, a 59-year-old man, was found on the road – ejected from his bike. He could not be revived and died at the scene.
Police confirmed the man was travelling alone at the time of the incident, but had earlier been part of a group of other motorcyclists. He had been riding with along an unsealed section of road in the Tamban State Forest.
“He had become separated from a group of people that he was riding with, before he was found by one of the members,” Inspector Smallwood said.
Officers from the Mid North Coast Police District commenced an investigation, seizing the man’s motorcycle for mechanical examination.
Inspector Smallwood said this would help determine whether speed was a factor.
Whether speed was a factor or not, roads around Collombatti and parts of the Pacific Highway near to it have been the subject of several high-speed police enforcement matters this year.
In August, Mid North Coast Traffic and Highway Patrol officers were conducting stationary speed enforcement on Collombatti Road at Frederickton, when they noticed a silver Ford Territory travelling at approximately 101km/hr in a signposted 50km/hr zone.
It led to a police pursuit, where a 41-year-old man was fined $2520 for excessive speed.
It was the largest infringement issued on a day that saw police fine 10 drivers for excessive speeding in just 90 minutes throughout the area.
In September, a motorist, 50, was also fined travelling 193km/hr in a 110km/hr zone along the Pacific Highway, Collombatti.
The Drummoyne driver was issued an infringement notice for exceeding the speed limit by more than 45km/hr, which carries a penalty of six demerit points and attracts a fine of $2520.
The number plates on the vehicle where removed and the man’s licence was also suspended.
Coffs-Mid Coast Traffic Inspector, Peter McMenamin, said at the time that this sort of behaviour was not only reckless but potentially deadly.
“To date in the Coffs/Clarence and Mid North Coast Police Districts, 13 people have lost their lives in 2020 – while less people have been moving around the state due to the pandemic, traffic in Northern NSW will only increase as the weather warms up,” Inspector McMenamin said.
“You may have driven these roads for years, but that is no excuse – drivers forget that they are in control of a high-powered machine which can be deadly.
“Always drive to the conditions and within your limits, never have distractions around you, and never drive tired or impaired.”
Police will prepare a report for the coroner into the motorcyclist’s death.