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Radar
TBF moderator



United Kingdom
5747 Posts

Posted - 24/09/2009 :  22:41:23  Show Profile Send Radar a Private Message  Reply with Quote
I don't normally post about this sort of thing, but it serves as cautionary tale for us all when riding abroad...

British Bikers Die In Horror Tunnel Crash

Three British motorcyclists have been killed and another is critically ill after a horror crash on a touring holiday in northern Italy.

The riders collided head-on with a lorry carrying building material as they came out of a tunnel.

They are thought to have been on the wrong side of the road.

Those who died have been named by police as Colin John Morrish, 63, and Wendy Diane Pointer, 60, both from Rochester, Kent, and Michael John Vercoe, 66, from West Kingsdown, Kent.

Mr Vercoe's wife Faye, aged 63, is critically ill.

She has undergone surgery at the Santa Chiara hospital in Trento and doctors are confident she will recover.

The tragedy happened at Mezzolombardo, Trento, around 300m from the tunnel exit.

The stretch of road the motorbikes were travelling on is a dual carriageway when entering the tunnel but returns to a single lane on exiting.

A police spokesman said: ''We are working on the theory that when they left the tunnel they did not realise it was single-lane.''

The four were with the Motorcycle Touring Club of Europe taking part in an end-of-season meeting in northern Italy that started last week.

Police said the victims were riding Yamaha 1300 and a Triumph 1200 touring bikes.

Twelve Britons in total were with the group and the four involved in the accident had been visiting another member, Gordon Ellis, 58, who had been injured in an accident last week.

Speaking from the hotel where the 40-strong club were staying, a group spokesman said: ''It's very upsetting to talk about it. We are all very shocked."

Local councillor Bruno Firmani said:''We have had several complaints from motorists about the tunnel and the road in recent weeks.

''There is no doubt that it is confusing and I had tabled a question with the local road agency about the signposting on that stretch of road.''

The driver of the truck was Albanian.

Tests are due to be carried out on the victims to see if they had been drinking.

A spokesman for the British consulate in Milan said next of kin had been informed and they were offering assistance.

Source...

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Three-British-Motorcyclists-Are-Killed-In-A-Crash-At-A-Tunnel-In-Italy/Article/200909415387266

I started out with nothing and I still have most of it left!

Pete247
Uber Member



United Kingdom
1149 Posts

Posted - 25/09/2009 :  01:48:16  Show Profile  Visit Pete247's Homepage Send Pete247 a Private Message  Reply with Quote
that is truely aweful, poor familys and friends.

Gonna go to bed sad this eve. Please if this effects you in any way, snooze thinking of the good times you have had with lost friends rather than the sad events that cross our paths

Pete.
"underhand, under water and damned un-English"
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Digger
Uber Member



United Kingdom
1866 Posts

Posted - 28/09/2009 :  18:09:31  Show Profile Send Digger a Private Message  Reply with Quote
It so sad to hear about these things,my condolences to the berieved families.

Take it easy out there
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