A DALE motocross rider who was killed doing what he loved died as a result of an accident, an inquest jury has concluded.
Thomas Brown, of South View Farm, in Marwood, was killed in a crash at a motocross event near Low Hardwick Farm at Sedgefield on April 30 last year.
A formal investigation into the 27-year-old’s death began on May 10 last year. An inquest into his death was held with a jury on Monday (May 21) at Crook Civic Centre. It was revealed that Mr Brown had lost control of his new KTM motorcycle, he was thrown from the machine and suffered fatal injuries.
Emergency services were called to the scene at 11.45am. Paramedics arrived at the track at 12.12pm at which point the air ambulance was already on its way.
The inquest heard how Mr Brown appeared “agitated” and “short of breath” when medical help arrived but that he had no obvious external injuries.
Mr Brown was sedated at the scene and suffered a cardiac arrest before he was taken by road ambulance to James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough. He died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
A post-mortem examination revealed that the medical cause of Mr Brown’s death was chest injuries. He suffered damage to his right lung, nine rib fractures and a fractured collarbone.
The court heard how Mr Brown had been seen “flying over the top of the handle bars” and “cartwheeling” through the air on the bike three or four times before landing in a ditch at the side of the track.
Although police were unable to pinpoint exactly where Mr Brown lost control of his bike, they know the accident unfolded between a left-hand bend and a right-hand hairpin.
Some witness statements read out in the coroner’s court held the view that the track was a good venue but some disagreed with claims that the track was poorly kept and that no medical staff were seen at the track.
However, it was confirmed during the hearing that the track was run to “a satisfactory level” with three marshal points covering the whole track. The jurors were also informed that improvements had since been suggested at the site in line with guidance issues by the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU).
Sgt Phil Grieves informed the jury that it was his belief that “rider-error” led to Mr Brown’s death after which he sustained a significant internal injury which proved to be “catastrophic”.
The jury heard how the track manager, Alfred Walton, who was the only first-aider present, had not renewed his first-aid training for the past six years.
However, assistant coroner Oliver Longstaff told the court that the availability of first aid at the scene of the accident was a “red herring” in the case due to the severity of Mr Brown’s injuries. The jury heard how another rider, who was injured during a separate incident on the same day, blamed “rider error” for her own accident on the track.
Durham County Council’s health and safety inspector, David Hall, found no evidence of any wrongdoing with regards to the health and safety of the public. He informed the jury that there was no legislation to dictate that medical cover was required and that one first-aider was sufficient.
The jury returned a unanimous verdict of accidental death.
Assistant coroner Mr Longstaff ruled that no statutory report was necessary, describing the incident as a “one-off”.
He said: “The sport in which Thomas was engaged remains an inherently dangerous one. It is not, as I find, a sport where risk can be entirely eliminated. On its facts, as the jury have found them, this death has not been caused by any perceived shortcoming or failing in the way in which the track or the event was organised.
“It is very difficult to find anything helpful to say when someone as young as Thomas died doing something he loved. I hope that the inquest’s conclusion helps you come to terms with this dreadful event.”
Shortly after Mr Brown’s death, the Thomas Brown Memorial fund was set up to campaign for Thomas’ Law, which aims to raise awareness of practice track safety and encourage track owners to take more responsibility with the presence of medics and equipment.
The family now plan to introduce a grading system to indicate the level of ability tracks are aimed at as well as compiling tailored accident procedure booklets for tracks in the UK.
Speaking after the inquest, Thomas’ mum, Samantha Brown, said: “We got the outcome we expected. There was no other conclusion that could be made from today.
“There does not seem to have been a policy in place to deal with a serious incident. We can’t change the outcome of what happened to Thomas. The biggest eye opener for us is the lack of legislation.
“The only thing we can do in Thomas’ memory is to try to change that. We are going to try and take Tom’s Law as far as we can.
“We want to make sure that this does not happen to another family.”
