A motorcyclist who died after smashing into a car making a U-turn on a busy York road could not have avoided the vehicle, York coroner David Coverdale said.

Ian Brooks, a 42-year-old father-of-two from Stamford Bridge, died in August last year after being thrown into a ditch during the accident in Wigginton Road.

The coroner was told he hit a Jaguar car which swung across the road in front of him.

The Jaguar driver, John Taplin, from Wigan, had been working for the RAC and was giving the car,from a Clifton Moor garage, a test drive.

Mr Coverdale said: "I can't see what more Mr Brooks could have done to avoid this situation."

He had heard evidence that Mr Brooks could have been travelling at up to 60 miles per hour, which is within the speed limit on that road, when he saw the Jaguar.

Thomas Kidd, a lorry driver who Mr Brooks had overtaken as he drove the bike to work at Nestl, said: "The Jaguar was parked in a lay-by up the road on the left hand side of the road, and was indicating to manoeuvre into the traffic.

"The bike indicated to overtake the car and the car began to pull out in front of it. I presumed the car was going to travel towards York."

But he said it started to perform a U-turn.

"The motorcyclist ran into the side of the Jaguar," he said.

"By this time the front part of the car was across the central line on the road."

Excerpts of a police interview with Mr Taplin were read to the court. In the interview Mr Taplin said: "I was going to just turn round in the middle of the road. I was going to do it in one manoeuvre.

"I felt sure I knew what was coming."

Mr Taplin was not present at the inquest.

Mr Coverdale recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Updated: 11:24 Friday, May 04, 2001