Ipswich Coroner's Court rules motorcyclist John Valerio had died due to wet weather

A motorcyclist who was killed on his way home from a track event in Snetterton had been considering selling his bike in the weeks leading up to his death.

John Valerio had grown increasingly uneasy about the dangers associated with motorbikes at the time of his death, an inquest at Ipswich Coroner’s Court heard on Wednesday.

The 34-year-old mechanic, who was known to friends as ‘Mr Safety’ due to his cautious nature, had been participating in a track riding event at Snetterton Circuit on May 18 last year before heading back to Bury St Edmunds with his girlfriend, Emma Gaskell, trailing him in a car.

Having passed through Diss, the pair made their way southbound down the A143 when they became caught up in a torrential rain storm.

Navigating around a bend in the road, Mr Valerio’s Suzuki motorbike skidded in the wet conditions and he collided with an oncoming mobile crane. He died at the scene as a result of severe neck and head injuries.

The inquest heard that he had been travelling within the speed limit and was not under the influence of drink or drugs.

In a statement read out by coroner Tim Deeming, Ms Gaskell said that neither her boyfriend nor the driver of the crane were to blame for the accident.

“It really wasn’t John’s fault, it wasn’t the lorry driver’s fault, either – it was due to the sudden downpour, and you could barely see,” her statement read.

She added that Mr Valerio, who was originally from Toronto, had expressed concerns about the safety of motorbikes before his death.

Her statement continued: “John had been to Snetterton that day as he had some credit left on track that he was using up. He was contemplating selling his bike, because he wasn’t sure that motorbikes were safe and he wanted to focus more on cars.

“John didn’t like the dangers associated with bikes and the risk of falling off.”

Mr Deeming ruled that the incident was the result of severe weather. He said: “It seems clear that this tragic event arose due to the impact of the weather and there was nothing that those involved could have done to avoid it.”