A motorcyclist died and a householder escaped injury by seconds when an articulated lorry jack-knifed into a bungalow on the A64 near York.

Wendy Dunwell had just left her front bedroom at Stockton Hall Lodge when the lorry crashed through the wall, tearing away part of the corner of her home.

Outside on the A64, opposite the North Lane junction, the lorry had been in collision with a Kawasaki ZXR400 motorcycle before skidding for several yards along the roadside verge.

The 31-year-old motorcycle rider, believed to be from the York area, was fatally injured. Police have yet to release his name.

Today a bouquet of blue flowers in the roadside hedge marked the spot where he lost his life.

"The first thing we knew was when we heard the lorry hit the house and we saw it in the house," said Tony Dunwell, Wendy's husband.

Wendy was in the room seconds before the crash. Today her family, including two sons, were thanking their lucky stars for her narrow escape.

"It's lucky we have the trees in the front," added Mr Dunwell.

The lorry ploughed into the line of screening bushes between the road and the bungalow before breaking through the hedge and hitting the house.

Workmen spent six hours making emergency repairs to the bedroom wall and dealing with the debris.

But the family was unable to say how serious the damage was until structural engineers had inspected it.

The Dunwells had been preparing to watch the World Cup clash between England and Argentina when it occurred and they had to deal with the aftermath instead.

The crash happened on a straight stretch of the A64 shortly after it narrows from dual to single carriageway on the Scarborough side of the Hopgrove roundabout on the York ringroad.

Police say the accident happened as the maroon-coloured articulated lorry was heading towards Scarborough.

As it approached the junction with North Lane, which leads to Huntington, a white Ford Orion was waiting in the side road at the junction's mouth.

The green and white Kawasaki motorcycle was travelling towards York.

Police say the lorry driver appeared to have braked, causing his vehicle to jack-knife into the path of the motorcycle.

The lorry was in collision with the motorcycle and left the road before hitting the house.

Firemen from York, Acomb and Malton were called to the scene but were not required. The motorcyclist was taken to York District Hospital. He was declared dead within a short time of the collision.

York traffic police are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 01904 631321.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.