A YOUNG father was twice the legal alcohol limit when he crashed his motorbike into the back of a parked lorry, an inquest heard.

Shane McGonagle, 23, was killed in the early hours last October 22, when his red Honda 125cc was involved in the collision on the A4130, just miles from his home in Sutherland Beck, Didcot.

The inquest at Oxford Coroner’s Court today heard that Mr McGonagle – father of three-year-old Kai, who lives with his mother in Ireland – had spent the evening drinking in the Wallingford Arms in Didcot's Broadway.

Landlord David Brewerton told the inquest he offered to give Irish-born Mr McGonagle a lift home.

But the warehouse packer, who worked at Clearwater Hampers in East Hendred, refused the offer and left the pub at 12.40am.

Lorry driver Matt Machowiak said he was on the A4130 at about 2am when he saw a motorcyclist matching Mr McGonagle’s description fall off his bike.

Mr Machowiak said: “He was slowing down but he seemed to have trouble, as though the rider was either inexperienced or had been drinking.

“The bike rider seemed to wobble and fall on the road. The rider started to pick up the bike, but he was struggling.”

Shortly afterwards, lorry driver Martin Curran, of Tyrells Way, Sutton Courtenay, was driving along the A4130 when Mr McGonagle overtook him.

Mr Curran told the inquest he could see a Tesco lorry parked on the same side of the road about 200 metres ahead.

He added: “Something caught my eye, whether it was the glimmer of the street light on the bike, I looked down and I could see him (Mr McGonagle). When he went past me, that was when I realised there could be a problem.”

He said Mr McGonagle was heading for the lorry when, at the last minute, he seemed to see it and started to pull out, but ran into the back of it.

The inquest heard Mr McGonagle died at the John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, from multiple head injuries.

A toxicology report found 158mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood – the legal limit for driving is 80mg of alcohol.

The driver of the parked lorry, Kazimierz Gorski, whose statement was read to the inquest, said he had pulled up at about 2am on the A4130, close to Tesco’s distribution centre, while he sorted out paperwork.

He said he put on his parking lights and was planning to leave 30 seconds after the accident.

Coroner Nicholas Gardiner told the inquest the blood alcohol reading was taken several hours after the accident, meaning it would have been higher when Mr McGonagle crashed.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Gardiner said: “It seems Mr McGonagle, despite the efforts of Mr Brewerton, had decided to ride his bike home. He had clearly had more than double the amount of alcohol to drive a mechanical vehicle.”

A family statement read out after the inquest on behalf of Mr McGonagle’s mother Kay, his father Anthony, five brothers and three sisters said: “We would like to thank everyone who helped Shane on the night of his fatal accident.”

didcot@oxfordmail.co.uk