A Circular Head man who lost his life during a charity motorcycle ride near Smithton last year was speeding and found with alcohol and cannabis in his system, a Coroner has ruled.
55-year-old Christopher Darren Dodd was an experienced motorcyclist riding a 2009 Kawasaki ZX 1400, one of the most powerful motorcycles available, when he died in February 2021.
According to Coroner Simon Cooper, Dodd was seen riding at an excessive speed moments before the accident.
Police calculations estimate that Dodd was travelling at a minimum of 124km/h when he lost control of the bike on Trowutta Road.
“His motorcycle left the road, flipped and rolled before launching into the air and coming to rest 2 metres above the ground in a clump of tea trees, along with Mr Dodd,” Corner Cooper said.
Dodd suffered multiple traumatic injuries, “all of which were untreatable and all of which were unsurvivable.”
“A toxicological analysis of samples taken at autopsy showed the presence of both alcohol and cannabis in Mr Dodd’s body at the time of his crash.”
Cooper said Dodd crashed “because he was travelling too fast.”
“His reactions are likely to have been impaired by the alcohol and cannabis that were in his system at the time of the crash.”
“Mechanical defect, road or weather conditions played no role in the happening of the crash.”
No other individuals were involved in the charity ride crash, which saw around 37 motorcyclists riding from Circular Head to Stanley and the Marrawah area.
