A COLLEGE student was killed when his motorbike collided with another vehicle after a sharp bend on the A49, an inquest has heard.

Harry Ross, from Leominster, died on January 11 when his Yamaha 125 CC collided with a Toyota Landcruiser near the top of Dinmore Hill.

An inquest this week heard that the 17-year-old was travelling from Hereford to Leominster and that the crash occurred where two lanes are bound uphill for Leominster and one for Hereford.

Mr Ross, a student at Hereford College of Arts, found himself on the other side of the solid white line separating the lanes when dealing with a sharp left hand bend and collided with an oncoming vehicle bound for Hereford.

The inquest heard that both the motorbike and the Toyota were well maintained and had no mechanical or structural faults.

In CCTV footage taken before the crash, Mr Ross was seen to be driving sensibly.

Witnesses stated that both drivers were within the speed limit and that conditions were dry.

A breathalyser test also showed zero alcohol in the system of the Toyota driver.

The inquest heard how fellow drivers who witnessed the crash stopped and left their cars to help Mr Ross by performing CPR until the emergency services arrived.

However, Mr Ross was pronounced dead at 3.21pm.

Summing up, coroner Mark Bricknell said: “It was bad luck. Many riders have accidents and live to tell the tale.

"Unfortunately Harry encountered a vehicle exactly with the trajectory which he found himself on and, unable to control, he collided with the front of the Toyota Landcruiser.”

The coroner paid tribute to the young student and thanked those in attendance for contributing to the inquest.

Coroner Mark Bricknell also exonerated the driver of the Toyota of any fault.

He attributed the cause of Mr Ross' death to multiple traumatic injuries as a consequence of a road traffic collision.