Biker suffered a fatal head injury after crashing near Sheffield

Physical injuries and a combination of drugs has impaired a motorcyclist’s ability to operate his machine to the extent he crashed and died after attending a church service.

• Trash operator fined thousands for bridge crash
• City golf course to stay, but for how long

A TASMANIAN coroner has raised concerns about the number of motorcyclists losing control of their machines and dying as a result.

In delivering her findings into the death of biker Gavin John Barber, at Lower Barrington in 2018, coroner Olivia McTaggart said the 55-year-old’s death was “yet another instance of a motorcyclist losing control of the motorcycle and suffering fatal injuries.”

“In Mr Barber’s case, the combination of multiple drugs, his ill-health and his existing injuries from a recent crash were major factors in the crash which caused his death.”

Ms McTaggart said the combination of illicit and prescription drugs found in Mr Barber’s system would have also affected his riding ability including reflexes and reaction times.

On September 2, 2018, Mr Barber rode to see a friend in Acacia Hills.

From there the pair rode their bikes to the Baptist Church at Lower Barrington where they attended the service.

Lower Barrington Baptist Church where Mr Barber attended a service before riding off and ultimately dying.

After church the two men headed off to see another friend at Spreyton.

The biker in front noticed after some time that his friend was no longer behind him on the road.

He rode back to the church but was unable to find Mr Barber. He then spotted him in a driveway, hunched on a garden wall about seven metres away from his crashed motorcycle.

Mr Barber was unresponsive and blood was coming from his mouth.

An ambulance was called but paramedics pronounced him dead from head injuries at the scene.

“Based upon the crash investigation evidence I find that Mr Barber was negotiating a right hand curve on Sheffield Rd when he lost control of the motorcycle,” Ms McTaggart said.

At the time, he had a fractured collarbone from another crash and this inhibited his riding ability.

After being thrown from the bike, Mr Barber made his way to the garden wall, removed his gloves and helmet but succumbed to his head injury.