THE driver of a stolen quad was killed when he lost control of the bike and was flung onto the road, before being ran over by a car.

David William Young was riding the Honda ATV, which had been stolen from the Alston area, on the A689 towards Killhope when he lost control on a left-hand bend and fell onto the opposite carriageway.

The driver of a VW Polo which had been following him saw what happened and stopped to check on the 39-year-old and call 999.

An inquest held on Thursday heard that the Polo driver said Mr Young was breathing and had blood coming from his head.

In a recording of the call to the ambulance service, he was then heard shouting as he got out of the way of an Audi A5 which came from the same direction and drove round his car and hit Mr Young as he laid on the road.

Emergency services attended and Mr Young, a steel erector from Bishop Auckland, was confirmed dead at 9.15pm on Monday, January 6, last year.

A post mortem found that Mr Young, who had not been wearing a helmet, had sustained extensive injuries.

Forensic pathologist Dr Louise Mulcahy said Mr Young’s death was “rapid” but she could not determine whether a head injury from the initial fall from the quad was “soon-to-be-fatal” before he was killed by the impact from the A5.

Durham and Darlington Coroner Oliver Longstaff said the driver of the Audi, which lost its bumper and lights in the crash, left the scene but called police when he arrived at an address.

Collision investigator PC Jason Coverdale said the quad bike was an all-terrain vehicle and not meant to be driven on public roads.

He said a motorist travelling in the opposite direction described the quad “going as fast as a quad could go” but there was no evidence of its speed, and whilst the Polo driver said the quad’s lights were not in use there was no way of being certain, and they would have been of limited assistance.

He said there were plenty of warnings about the bend, including signs, ‘SLOW’ road markings and chevrons.

PC Coverdale said the Polo driver could not have prevented the collision, adding: “He stopped the vehicle, put his hazards on, checked on the welfare or Mr Young and called the emergency services.

“There is nothing more he could have done.”

He said trained traffic officers would position their vehicles on the opposite carriageway to protect the casualty, but most people would do the same as the Polo driver.

Mr Longstaff said “it was a matter of regret” that the Audi driver had failed to stop, adding any motorist involved in a collision should do so.

Concluding that Mr Young died as a result of a road traffic collision, Mr Longstaff said: “The injuries sustained by Mr Young in two phases of the incident – the first was him losing control of the bike and coming off into the road and the second was the impact of the Audi on him – were serious, catastrophic injuries from which he had no chance.”