A ‘thoughtful and caring’ prison officer died after a head-on crash with a colleague who was leaving work, an inquest heard.
Ryan Horton died on Sheenhill Road, near Honeybourne, after his motorbike crossed the central reservation and crashed into a car being driven by Judith Coles, who had just left work at HMP Long Lartin on October 31 last year.
His brother Jamie described the moment Mr Horton’s red Honda CB500 motorcycle crashed into the Nissan Leaf as a tragic accident.
The collision happened on a bend a short distance from the prison.
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Worcester Coroner’s Court, in Stourport, heard how Ms Coles was driving on the correct side of the road when she was confronted with a silhouette, saying it ‘happened in a split second’ and she had no time to react.
West Midlands Ambulance Service was called at 7.02pm after Ms Coles waved down a passing vehicle.
Two nurses from Long Lartin Prison joined the efforts to save Mr Horton’s life before the arrival of an ambulance at 7.30pm.
Despite considerable attempts to revive Mr Horton, the 29-year-old from Bidford was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Two days later, West Mercia Police would recover footage from a camera on Mr Horton’s bike which corroborated the sequence of events described by Ms Coles.
A police report, read out at today’s (Thursday) inquest, said that the motorbike appeared to slow slightly while in the incorrect lane moments before the crash.
The weather at the time of the crash was clear and damp and the road surface was in a good condition.
The report concluded that the rider of the Honda had failed to correctly negotiate the curve on Sheenhill Road.
Born on June 25 1996 in Redditch, Mr Horton had osteogenesis imperfecta and asthma but no significant medical history.
Toxicology reports found that the 29-year-old did not have any traces of alcohol or drugs in his system at the time of the crash.
Senior coroner David Reid ruled Mr Horton’s death as being caused by multiple injuries following a road traffic collision.
A tribute read out at the inquest by Mr Reid on behalf of Mr Horton’s brother Jamie described the prison officer as a thoughtful, caring man who loved his job and had a passion for the prison service.
The inquest ended with Mr Reid offering his sincere condolences to Mr Horton’s family and friends, adding that the last few months had been a very difficult time.
