THE FAMILY of a Rhyl motorcyclist killed in a crash on a "horrible road" have expressed their sympathies to the driver of the other vehicle involved.

Michael “Mikey” Mannion, 29, hit an oncoming car while negotiating a left-hand bend on the B5119 between Rhyl and Dyserth, commonly known as “Dyserth Bends”, at roughly 7.50pm on May 25, 2022.

He was transferred to Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Bodelwyddan, where he was pronounced dead the following day.

At a full inquest held in Ruthin today (February 22), it was heard that Mr Mannion was disqualified from driving at the time, and was not wearing a helmet.

The motorcycle Mr Mannion was riding, an orange KTM 250 bike, was not legal for use on public roads such as the B5119.

The inquest heard that the driver of the grey Volkswagen Golf vehicle which Mr Mannion collided with, Sarah Hawkins, sustained minor injuries.

After the inquest, Mr Mannion’s mother, Dolly, expressed her sympathies and best wishes to Ms Hawkins.

She said: “I’ve thought about her and her kids every day… she’s got to live with this nightmare for the rest of her life.”

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A consultant anaesthetist at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd said Mr Mannion had sustained a severe head injury and was “profoundly comatose”, with fractures to his skull, face and right leg.

Following a CT scan, it was agreed that his injury was “not survivable”.

Organs of Mr Mannion, who had been airlifted to hospital following a motorcycle crash in 2015, were donated following his death.

A post-mortem was undertaken by Dr Muhammad Aslam, a consultant pathologist at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd on June 1.

It found that a small level of alcohol was present in Mr Mannion at the time of the crash, but that he was “well within the limit”, and Dr Aslam provided a cause of death of head injury.

A forensic collision investigation unit found that weather conditions were fine and visibility was clear at the time of the crash, with no issues with the road surface itself.

The speed limit on the road was 60mph.

It concluded that the crash had occurred in the lane that Ms Hawkins was occupying, and that it caused damaged to the front of the Volkswagen, on the driver’s side.

No defects were identified with either vehicle, and Ms Hawkins’ tests for both drugs and alcohol returned negative results.

It was felt that she could not have done any more to avoid the collision, and the investigation was unable to conclude definitively why Mr Mannion had veered across to the opposite lane.

This was deemed to likely be either through “positive choice”, or potentially by understeering when negotiating the bend.

A member of the unit said: “Speed limits themselves should never be seen as a target; they’re simply for maximum speed.

“It’s for a driver or rider themselves to judge whether it’s appropriate to drive at those speeds.”

In a statement, Ms Hawkins said the biggest effect of the crash on her has been the psychological damage it has caused.

She was travelling from Meliden to Rhyl to take her son to her father’s house, prior to them travelling to Paris to watch a football match.

Ms Hawkins said: “I have gone over and over this incident in my head, and I genuinely believe there was nothing I could have done to avoid that collision.

“To the best of my knowledge, my car was in full working order, with no faults.

“I always travel at about 30mph around ‘the bends’; that's what I was doing that night.”

Ms Hawkins added that she knew the road well, and drove on it almost daily.

Relatives of Mr Mannion described it as a “horrible road”.

Kate Sutherland, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, returned a conclusion of road traffic collision, and recorded a medical cause of death of head injury.

Ms Sutherland said she would refrain from issuing a prevention of future deaths report for the time being, but would make enquiries with the assistance of North Wales Police and Denbighshire County Council’s highways department before re-considering.

She said: “I would imagine no family would ever want to have to make a decision about donating organs of a loved one in such traumatic circumstances.

“At a time when you were in such shock, you would probably never have imagined making (the decision) the following day along the lines that you have.

“To those of you who made that decision, I think it’s hugely commendable.

“The loss of any family member in any circumstances is incredibly difficult.

“But to lose somebody so close to you in the circumstances that you have… I’m sure Mikey is a huge loss to you, and your wider family and friends, as well.”