Grieving fiancée releases footage of partner's fatal motorcycle crash

THE FIANCÉE of a man who died after his motorcycle collided with a car has released the accident footage in an effort to prevent similar tragedies.

Radoslaw Drzewiecki, 29, was on his way to work in March last year when a Vauxhall Meriva pulled out of a T-junction into his path. The rider, who was also known as Radek, was unable to avoid hitting the car.

Magdalena Gawel, his fiancée, said that, a year on from the accident, she wants the headcam footage to form part of a national campaign to encourage drivers to look out for vulnerable road users when pulling out of junctions.

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“A year down the line from the collision the pain is still there. It is a pain that has changed from shock to the pain of accepting life without Radek in it,” she said. “I miss him terribly — we did everything together, he had his whole life ahead of him. I have not only lost my future husband but my best friend and my soulmate.

“As a driver, please look twice at junctions. Don’t be in a rush to pull out as rushing costs lives.”

According to Durham Constabulary, the driver of the car pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving and was banned from driving for 18 months and ordered to complete 200 hours of community service.

“Look twice, as you never know what you might miss”

Sergeant Iain Rodgers, from the Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, said: “Every day, 30 bikers are killed or injured at junctions in the UK, with motorcyclists 38 times more likely to be killed in a road traffic accident than motorists — this is something we want to change.

“We’re encouraging motorists to take care at junctions and look out for vulnerable road users, like motorbikes and cyclists. Look twice, as you never know what you might miss.”

However, Sgt Rodgers urged motorcyclists to take extra care, too: “We take the safety of bikers very seriously as we know how vulnerable they are on our roads, so it’s important they ride safely and defensively.

“We know that the temptation is there to release their throttle, especially on the long stretches of open road, but they need to take care — there are people who love them waiting at home for them to return.”

For more information on how to ride safely, police are encouraging people to visit think.direct.gov.uk