A MAN from Kirkby Stephen was killed after he lost control of his mountain bike and collided with a van.

An inquest heard how Daniel Crookes, 23, of Station Yard, Kirkby Stephen, lost his life when the bike he was riding along the A685 struck an oncoming van at around 8.30pm on Saturday, May 18, 2004.

Witnesses to the accident recalled seeing Mr Crookes riding a mountain bike at speed down South Road in the town, weaving in and out of parked cars before losing control and colliding with a white Peugeot van which was travelling in the opposite direction.

Mr Crookes sustained multiple injuries and died later in hospital.

The driver of the van, Les Graham, a rail support worker from Brough, was subsequently interviewed by PC Richard Blackburn, and he told how he was making his way along the A685 through Kirkby Stephen on his way to work in Chester when, because of parked cars, the road narrowed so that it was only wide enough for one vehicle to travel along.

"I saw a cyclist coming down the middle of the road towards me, I pulled over as tight as I could but he just seemed to lose control and fall into me," he said.

Giving evidence was Stephen Graham, a teacher from Teesside, who was making his way home through Kirkby Stephen after a football match.

Mr Graham described how Mr Crookes "appeared suddenly from nowhere" and began travelling at speed down the road.

"We were about 40 yards further up the road and we could see what was going to happen. We saw the van coming up the road and the cyclist put his feet down to try to stop and that toppled him into the van's path," he said.

The inquest also heard evidence from Kirkby Stephen resident Wendy Wearmouth, who saw the accident from her living room window and described seeing a cyclist "careering down the hill and wobbling all over the road."

"There was no way the van could have avoided him or stopped," she added.

Police analysts working at the crash scene estimated that the van was travelling at around 36mph when it braked to try to avoid Mr Crookes.

Police later reassembled Mr Crookes's bike and found the front brakes to be in working order although there was no way to tell if they were working at the time of the accident.

The post mortem examination also revealed a small amount of cannabis in Mr Crookes's blood.

Coroner Ian Morton recorded a verdict of accidental death.