A man has died only metres from his home, in a motorcycling tragedy at Blackbutt.
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The 46-year-old man was riding north on Chillawong Circuit about 2.30pm Saturday when he lost control of his ride, a red sports bike.
He was wearing a helmet as he ran head-on into roadside tree, but suffered critical injuries, said Lake Illawarra Police District’s Inspector Brian Pedersen.
“Ambulance were quickly on scene, however he couldn’t be revived,” he said.
“He definitely impacted heavily with that tree. It’s only a small tree, but they’re strong.
“At this stage it’s too early to say exactly what’s happened, until we get the report from the scientific [officers], but it appears that speed may be a factor in this.”
The man’s distraught wife and numerous relatives were among the first to respond to the tragedy.
The were moved back beyond the police tape, where they embraced one another and looked on as emergency services cleared the crash site.
The man had departed his home, only about 100m away, moments before impact.
The Mercury understands the man was a licensed rider, but had scant experience on the powerful bike, a Suzuki GSX-R750.
Part of the street was closed for more than three hours as the site was declared a crime scene and forensic officers got to work.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash, however two motorcyclists who were nearby at the time have provided statements to police. It is unclear whether the riders were travelling with the man.
The crash occurred on a straight, downward stretch of road, in a 50km signposted area.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
The bike will be checked for roadworthiness, as part of that process.
“Obviously something has happened to cause him to lose control, so the bike’s been taken to our holding yard and it’s going to be examined by experts to determine whether there was a fault with the bike or not,” Insp Pedersen said.
“We have to make sure all these things are checked properly.
“It’s just very sad for everybody involved. It’s always traumatic and it makes it hard when we’re dealing with such a thing and its in close proximity to houses and people coming out to have a look.”
The crash was the second serious motorbike incident in the region on Saturday.
About 11am a 50-year-old man was airlifted to St George Hospital after colliding with a car at Bulli. He remains in hospital in a stable condition.