A rider has died over night after coming off his bike and being hit by a car, while the rider he was with fled the scene, NSW police say.
The accident happened on the M1 at Lake Macquarie between West Wallsend and Ryhope about 1am (Wednesday 28 August 2019).’
Police have been told two motorbikes were travelling southbound on the M1 expressway “at speed” when one rider has come off his bike.
“He was thrown from the bike on to the road before being hit by a car also heading south,” police say.
The rider died at the scene, while the rider of the second motorbike did not stop.
The female driver of the vehicle was taken to John Hunter Hospital for mandatory tests.
Officers from the Crash Investigation Unit are attending to assist Lake Macquarie officers with a full investigation and are calling for any witnesses, or anyone who may have dash-cam vision of the two motorbikes just prior to the crash to come forward.
Motorists heading southbound on the M1 near the crash scene are being diverted; motorists are encouraging to check livetraffic.com for the latest traffic updates.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Kyle Gilroy says he was out for a solo Sunday ride up to Maleny when he low-sided the BMW S 1000 RR he was riding.
As he was picking up the bike, he noticed Siemon’s blue Triumph Sprint ST down a steep embankment.
Siemon with his son, Paul
Siemon, 66, had set out for a “joy ride” to Esk at 9am on Monday (19 August 2019). He was due back at noon but never returned, crashing on the Maleny Stanley River Road at Booroobin.
Kyle stumbled on the scene, literally by accident.
“I wasn’t injured and my bike only had light scratches. It was a small low side,” says Kyle.
“As I was picking up my bike, I saw the Triumph in the bushes.
“I ran down to help but then I realised it was Siemon because I had seen the poster on Facebook.”
Kyle Gilroy on a BMW S 1000 RR
Kyle, who comes from Scotland and has been living here seven years, hopes to organise riders to form a funeral cortege to honour Siemon.
“It’s something we do in Scotland if a biker dies. It’s a nice gesture for a fallen colleague,” he says.
Siemon’s son, Paul, says the family is “still coming to terms with everything” and has not yet made any funeral arrangements.
Crash cause?
The Coroner is preparing a report on the incident.
Kyle says he is baffled by the crash.
“I wasn’t hanging about and I didn’t go off the road,” says Kyle who has been riding 10 years.
“Siemon just went straight over the edge with no skid marks or anything.
“I don’t think he’s leaned it over at all, he overshot the corner by miles and just drove straight over the edge.
“Maybe it was a heart attack or stroke.”
The Mulder family says Siemon had no history of health issues.
Other possible causes could be wildlife or another vehicle. We will await the Coroner’s report.
Dangerous corner?
Sweetwater corner
The corner is known as Sweetwater as it is near the Sweetwater Cottage.
It’s one of two blind, uphill left-handers that tightens.
“I’ve been over there plenty of times,” Kyle says.
“I had the perfect line and should have made it but the tyres were a bit fresh.
“I know the front end goes a bit light there where the camber flattens out a bit.
“It was just me being stupid.”
Corner approach (Image Google Maps)
Mid-corner
Corner exit
Several readers have pointed out that they have also crashed or know of riders crashing on the corner.
However, Kyle defends the road and says it is not to blame.
“It’s a beautiful section of road,” he says.
“The corner often catches people out, but I don’t blame the road and I don’t want that area knocked down to a 60km/h speed.”
A rider who slid off the road has coincidentally found the body of Sandgate rider Siemon Mulder who went missing while out for a ride last Monday (19 August 2019).
Siemon, 66, set out for a “joy ride” at 9am on Monday (19 August 2019) on his blue Triumph Sprint ST registration 769DW, heading to Esk. He was due back at noon but never returned.
His son, Paul, says it was a chance crash by a rider that led to the sad discovery this morning at 8.20 near a left-hand bend on the Maleny Stanley River Road at Booroobin.
Sade discovery
“Coincidentally a rider slid off the road at the exact same spot,” Paul says.
“Police told us he was picking his bike up when he noticed dad’s bike down a steep embankment.
“I don’t know who the rider is, but it was very lucky, otherwise we could have been looking for weeks and weeks.
“Volunteers actually walked along that area a few times already and we flew over it in a helicopter the other day.
“If you didn’t know where to look you wouldn’t have seen anything, even if you were right over the top.”
Siemon Mulder
Thanks to volunteers
Paul says the whole family would like to extend their thanks to the South East Queensland motorcycle community for rallying to their aid in the search.
“Mum (Wendy) has been in tears of happiness for all the people who have come to our aid and helped with the search,” he says.
“A big thanks to everyone.”
Colin Francis, whose daughter is scheduled to marry Siemon’s son, Luke, on August 31, says the discovery is “at least is some closure for the family, but it’s not the outcome we had hoped for”.
“We’ve been out on the Esk Rd today and there were hundreds of riders out,” he says.
“These people responded to our call and they have done a magnificent job.
“I even saw a few guys on scooters stopping and peering over the edges of the road.
“The motorcycle community camaraderie is real.”
Paul and Siemon
Paul says he would occasionally ride his Kawasaki Ninja 300 with his father.
“I used to live in Victoria and I once rode up from Victoria and he met me half way,” he said.
“He was an avid rider who loved freedom.
“He was a true gentleman, very kind and a gentle man who was willing to help anyone out.”
The sad incident is a timely lesson for all solo riders to tell others where they are going.
Always take your mobile phone, download locator apps or, if in remote areas with no mobile signal, pack an EPIRB, beacon or GPS tracker.
A report on the incident will be prepared for the coroner.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24 hours a day.
You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or at crimestoppersqld.com.au.
Paul Mulder, son of missing rider Siemon, says he and his father (pictured above) often went on rides and he was a competent rider, but he fears he may have had an accident.
The search for Siemon is now in its fifth day after he went missing on Monday (19 August 2019).
The 66-year-old Sandgate rider set out for a “joy ride” at 9am on Monday on his blue Triumph Sprint ST registration 769DW.
He said he was heading to Esk and was due back at noon but never returned.
Fears for dad
Siemon Mulder
“I often ride with dad,” Paul says.
“He’s an incredibly competent rider. He’s been riding since he was 15 and he knows all the roads in the area and wouldn’t to do anything stupid.
“Dad doesn’t have any real health issues; nothing to do with that.
“He could have slipped or come around a corner and hit some gravel. There’s not much you can do. Some of those corners you are not going to have much luck with no barriers there.
“He could have even stopped at the side of the road to have a pee and slipped. With a full tank of fuel, once it goes you would be hard pressed to stop that bike.”
Areas to search
Paul supplied this possible route (photo below) and asked riders to also search the Boonah Beaudesert Road near the Wyaralong Dam.
“I’m pretty confident as we have been down that road before,” he says.
Although Paul has today been concentrating on the area around Esk after an unconfirmed report of a sighting at the Enigma Cafe.
“What we really need is to find a sighting at a fuel station or someone’s dashcam to give Police and us an idea of where to concentrate the search.
“At the moment it’s a big area.”
Volunteers searching
Today’s search also involved volunteer riders, police and SES volunteers.
“We have been on the Esk-Kilcoy Road and flew drones over Somerset Dam, Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo.”
Over the past couple of days, they have also had Police helicopter and private helicopter searches paid for through a Gofundme campaign.
“At the moment we’re all clutching at straws with what has happened,” Paul says.
“We think it’s some sort of accident.
“We’re not sure why he didn’t have his phone on. The big thing is he liked having that freedom on the bike. He might not have turned it off on purpose but just forgot to charge it.”
Riders have been asked by the family to scour the region this weekend while they are out and about.
Other areas suggested by readers for the search are forestry areas closer to Brisbane, Wivenhoe Pocket, Samford and Eatons Hill.
Off-road riders have also been urged to become involved in the search in creeks and thick vegetation.
If Siemon has run off the road, riders should be searching for skid marks on the road or verge, broken glass and plastic on the road, bent-back bushes and the glint of shining objects in roadside bushes.
Any clues or sightings should be phoned in to Policelink on 131 444.
You can also contact Motorbike Writer on 0400 366620 and we will post on social media to help narrow the search area.
Let’s find Siemon
Siemon Mulder
Siemon is about 180cm tall with a slim build, grey short hair and grey facial hair.
He was last seen wearing a black leather jacket, blue jeans and black helmet with a dark tinted visor.
Riders searching for Siemon should also take care if they are riding slowly not to hold up traffic, use their hazard lights and take care of their own safety.
It’s a good lesson for all solo riders to tell others where you are going, take your mobile phone, download locator apps or, if in remote areas with no mobile signal, pack an EPIRB, beacon or GPS tracker.
Police in NSW and Queensland are investigating two crashes in which riders died early last night (20 August 2019).
In one incident, police say a motorcycle was travelling eastbound along the Warrego Highway three kilometres from Minden about 6.30pm when the rider “has attempted to overtake two trucks and has lost control”.
“As a result, the motorcyclist has collided with one of the trucks and was pronounced deceased at the scene,” police say.
If you have information for police, contact Policelink on 131 444 or provide information using the online form 24hrs per day.
You can report information about crime anonymously to Crime Stoppers, a registered charity and community volunteer organisation, by calling 1800 333 000 or via crimestoppersqld.com.au 24hrs per day.
Rider dies in Tweed Heads crash
Just across the border, an 18-year-old male rider died when his moped collided wth a Holden Colorado about 6pm in the southbound lanes on Ducat Street.
The teenager was knocked off the moped and was struck by a northbound Toyota Prado.
He died at the scene.
Officers from Tweed/Byron Police District attended and established a crime scene.
The 42-year-old male driver of the Holden, and the 46-year-old female driver of the Toyota were uninjured.
They were taken to Tweed Heads Hospital for mandatory blood and urine tests.
The road was closed for about five hours while the scene was examined.
Inquiries continue and a report will be prepared for the Coroner.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Our sincere condolences to the riders’ friends and families.
More than three years after a Darwin rider died in a roadworks crash (photo above), the court has dished out cheap justice for the life of the rider.
Queensland company BMD Constructions had faced fines of up to $1.5m for failing to comply with work health and safety obligations over the death of Darwin musician Peter “Pedro” Bonnell.
Instead, NT Worksafe has accepted an enforceable undertaking from the company to spend just $305,000 in activities to improve motorist as well as worker safety.
However, it seems most of the money will be spent on staff awareness of silicosis and mental health issues, rather than motorist safety.
Only $20,000 will be spent on bringing workers up to the Work Zone Traffic Controller (WZ2) qualification standard.
An undisclosed sum will also be spent on creating an “e-learning training package for general awareness of traffic management for the NT construction industry”.
Cheap justice
It seems like cheap justice for the life of a rider and does little to make other roadworks companies liable for shoddy roadworks and traffic management procedures.
Pedro died on April 20, 2016, when his motorbike crashed into a traffic diversion set up as part of the Tiger Brennan Drive duplication roadworks.
Darwin musician Peter “Pedro” Bonnell
NT Worksafe alleged the traffic diversion set-up was not in accordance with an approved traffic control diagram and not compliant with Australian Standards.
They also alleged BMD Constructions used interlocking crash barriers without reflective bollards that were not compliant with Australian Standards, and failed in other safety areas.
NT WorkSafe Acting Executive Director Mel Garde said it was appropriate to accept the enforceable undertaking as the traffic diversion set-up was not the sole contributing factor to the incident.
She says several of the activities in the sanction will up-skill the construction industry on traffic management, creating a safer environment for workers and the wider community.
“Traffic management is an important factor in maintaining a safe workplace,” she says.
“There is an obligation to not only protect workers from the hazards of oncoming traffic, but also to protect road users from potential hazards created by the worksite.
“The driving skill and experience of road users will vary widely so it is critical that traffic management plans and traffic diversions are compliant with Australian Standards, so that all road users can safely navigate them.”
A 55-year-old driver who allegedly failed to stop after colliding with a Vespa scooter rider in Sydney has been refused bail in court today (16 August 2019).
Paul Andrew Brown faced court charged with failing to stop and render aid, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and not exchange particulars.
Police say the matter involved an incident at 7.45pm on Wednesday (14 August 2019) when emergency services were called to the intersection of Wellbank and Spring streets at Concord, after a Vespa motor scooter and a Toyota Hilux ute collided.
Image: Google Maps
“The driver of the utility allegedly failed to stop to render assistance and continued to drive north on Spring Street,” police say.
The rider of the scooter, a 34-year-old woman, suffered serious injuries and was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, where she remains in a stable condition.
Officers from the Crash Investigation Unit found the ute parked in North Strathfield about 2.30pm yesterday (Thursday 15 August 2019).
After a short foot pursuit, police arrested Brown and took him to Burwood Police Station.
He was jailed overnight and appeared in Burwood Local Court this morning where he was again refused bail until his next scheduled court appearance on August 27.
A 50-year-old male riders has died after his motorcycle hit a roadside traffic sign in rural Nowra, on the NSW south coast.
Police say that just before 3pm yesterday (14 August 2019) “a motorcycle travelling south on Parma Road at Yerriyong was approaching a bend, when it hit a traffic sign pole”.
The rider was unable to be revived and died at the scene.
A crime scene was established by South Coast Police District officers who are “conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the crash”.
Anyone with information about this incident is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: 1800 333 000 or https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.
Our condolences to the rider’s family and friends.
Traffic sign hazards
Two Austroads reports in 2014 and 2016 identified there were too many changes in speed zones and too much roadside “furniture” causing a particular hazard to riders.
Despite these reports, wire rope barriers, speed signs and other hazards have proliferated on our roadsides.
While the 2016 report said the road environment accounted for only 2% of motorcycle road deaths in single-vehicle crashes between 1999 and 2003, “certain road elements have the potential to contribute to the actual outcome and severity of the crash”.
It said the first step was to identify roads that pose the highest crash risk to motorcyclists, then perform safety audits.
The report recommended a raft of motorcycle-specific road modifications including:
install flexible but durable materials or shields underneath barriers (no mention of wire rope barriers!);
install attenuators or energy dissipaters on posts and poles;
relocate trees, poles, signs and other roadside objects;
recommended maximums for potholes, ruts and cracks before repair is vital;
rapid road repair including quick removal of oil, diesel and other spills;
A council’s failure to fix thin bitumen in parking bays that caused a parked motorcycle to fall over could cost them if other bikes suffer the same fate.
Toowoomba tiding trainer Tony Gallagher says although council has dodged paying him compensation, they are now aware of the problem and may not be able to dodge other similar future claims.
Tony told us in June that he watched as his parked 2001 Kawasaki ZRX1200R sank into thin bitumen and fall over in Crows Nest’s main street parking bays.
Despite offering to do the repairs himself at a moderate cost, Toowoomba Regional Council insurance officer Josie Hooper told him council is not liable for compensation.
Her letters says their investigations found that council was unaware of “the specific characteristic of the road and/or car park you say caused the damage to the motorcycle”.
“Under Section 37 of the Civil Liability Act, a road authority such as Council cannot be held liable for claims that arise out of alleged lack of maintenance, repair, or inspection of a road if, at the time of the damage, the road authority was unaware of the defect which allegedly caused the damage,” she wrote in an official letter to Tony two months after his complaint.
Now Tony has taken to Facebook to publish a video railing against council’s “corruption” and lack of accountability.
Parkings not fixed
In the eight-minute video, Tony points out that although the hole has been patched, council has not done anything to rectify the problem of the thin bitumen in the parking bays.
He says that now council is “fully aware” of the problem they will be liable to pay compensation to any rider who suffers the same fate.
Tony says council needs to take more responsibility for their facilities.
“It is not unreasonable to be able to park your motorcycle safely in a town that is motorcycle friendly,” he says.
Crows Nest Motorcycle Friendly Town spokesman Ron Anderson told us he is not aware of any other motorcycles falling over in parking bays in town.
Fall from grace
Tony Gallagher
“The bike was parked for at least 10 minutes, maybe 15, before falling over. I saw it fall over,” Tony told us in June.
“The bitumen beneath the sidestand failed and the stand sunk into the ground several inches.”
He says witnesses can prove his bike did not roll off the stand and was parked facing uphill.
Tony contacted council who patched the hole before he left town on the day.
Patch repair
“The staff member who did the repair apologised to me,” Tony says.
“I would argue that they could have reasonably known that there was a fault with the road surface as there have been issues with the adjoining footpath and kerbing.
“As TRC are fully aware of these issues, the quality of the road surface where vehicles park should have been investigated and rectified prior to this incident. As such TRC have breached their duty of care.
“I went back the following Monday on my GPZ and noticed parking bays further up the hill are decaying — not obvious in the park I was in.”
The incident occurred on a mild April day, so there was no problem with melting tar.
He returned to the site in June and said there was moisture coming from the patched repair.
Tony says the bitumen is about 10mm thick with mud underneath and suspects an underground water problem.
Many riders put down a squashed soft drink can or some other sort of “puck-style” item for their stand on soft ground.
However, riders would not reasonably be expected to use one on an asphalt surface.
TRC says riders can report road damage to Customer Service on 131 872. Customer Service will create a ticket in the system to have the incident investigated by the relevant team in Council.
A police report that claims riders of high-powered motorbikes are over-represented in the crash statistics demonises riders as “thrill seekers” and is “absolutely meaningless”.
Victorian Motorcycle Council media spokesman John Eacott says the scant Victorian Police assessment of crash statistics is “akin to claiming that more blue cars crash than white cars”.
Victoria Police compiled crash data for the Melbourne News Ltd paper, Herald Sun, which showed that 27 out of 67 deaths in 2017 and 2018 involved bikes bigger than 1000cc. About 10% of crash police reports did not detail engine capacity.
Another 28 riders died in the 500-1000cc category while riders of bikes under 500cc had fewer deaths but sustained more injuries.
The crash data did not include any information about the increase in motorcycle licences or motorcycle registrations, although bikes under 500cc are 37% of registrations and 18% of fatals in 2017/18, according to VicRoads.
Stats furphy
John also points out that there are no statistics kept in Victoria to equate accidents with the kilometres travelled by any type of bike.
“As with the mythical ‘returning rider’ (which still remains undefined and therefore without evidence based stats) this is another furphy,” he says.
The report that “cherry picked statistics” only served to demonise riders, he says.
The “Hun” sought comment on the cops’ report from Stuart Newstead of the Monash University Accident Research Centre who declared riders are “thrill seekers”.
John rejected the “emotive” comment that demonises riders as a poor reflection on MUARC with no supporting evidence-based data.
We have contacted transport departments in several states for relevant statistics to show the full picture that includes registrations, engine sizes, crashes, etc.
However, they say it will take several days or even weeks to collate the data.
We will advise when we have received the full picture.
Riders and drivers warned
Meanwhile, in the wake of a recent spate of fatal crashes in Queensland, RACQ spokesperson Lauren Ritchie has issued a warning not only to riders but also drivers.
“Riders don’t have the same level of physical protection as drivers and sadly they’ll always come off second best so it’s important they’re taking precautions like riding to conditions and wearing all their safety gear,” she says.
“It’s critical riders don’t ride beyond their capabilities because when things go wrong on the road, there’s little room for error.”
However, Ms Ritchie adds that drivers also must play a part in keeping motorcyclists safe.
“Motorists can make simple adjustments to their driving like taking the time to look specifically for motorcycles and being vigilant in checking their mirrors or over their shoulder when changing lanes. Those extra seconds looking could save a life.”
