A YOUNG motorcyclist who died in a head-on collision with a car on the A19 near York may have been blown into its path by a strong gust of wind, an inquest heard.

It was also possible that 18-year-old Thomas Ferguson made a poorly judged overtaking manoeuvre, said a police collision investigator.

The inquest was told that the car's driver, Jessica Kirk, who had no opportunity to avoid the collision, veered off the road and crashed through a hedge into a field, where her vehicle ended up on its side with her baby daughter strapped in her car seat.

The crash happened in 'pitch dark' on the unlit main road at Great Thirkleby, between Thirsk and York, at 6.20am on September 27 last year.

Miss Kirk said she had been driving along 'nice and steady' towards York, at about 50-52 mph, with her daughter asleep, when she saw the headlights of a car being driven along the Thirsk-bound carriageway.

Then the motorbike suddenly pulled out onto her side of the road. "That was the first time I had seen him," she said. 

"There was no time to react. It happened so fast. I didn't see any indication to move out."

The police collision investigator said there were no obvious defects in the road which might have contributed to the collision and there was no sign of any prior defects in the motorbike which could have caused the collision.

He said Mr Ferguson was wearing motorcyclist's clothing but had a helmet with a heavily tinted visor which should be used in daylight only and would affect the rider's view at night, although headlights could still be seen, dimmed.

There were also scratches and scuff marks on the visor, some of which may have been there before the crash and could have affected the rider's vision.

The A59 at Kirk Hammerton between York and Harrogate is blocked after a crash.

Toxicology tests showed Mr Ferguson, a chef at Loftsome Bridge Hotel, near Selby, had alcohol present in his blood but below the drink drive limit. However, the collision investigator said this could still have impaired his judgement.

He said there was no evidence of reckless or irresponsible driving by Mr Ferguson prior to the crash.

Coroner Jonathan Leach concluded that Mr Ferguson, a chef, of Bell Farm, Thornton le Moor, Northallerton, who suffered multiple fatal injuries in the crash, died through a road traffic collision. He said it was unclear whether a wind gust or overtaking manoeuvre had led to him being on the wrong side of the road.

Earlier, Mr Ferguson's mother, Stacy Lees, paid tribute to her son, whom she said was a 'good person inside and out,' 'truly wonderful' and was 'missed beyond belief.'

She said that he had loved motorbikes. "He spent every penny of his hard-earned wages on his motorbikes. They were not just a mode of transport - they were a part of him."