A MOTOR-CYCLIST died from multiple organ failure after his machine hit a car which pulled out in front of him as he rode home from work.

An inquest at Bolton heard how 20-year-old Astley labourer Graham Michael Johnson was catapulted over the bonnet of Carl Messenger's Vauxhall Astra and landed in the road in a tea-time accident on midsummer's day last year in Lowton.

Mr Messenger, who said he did not see Mr Johnson until seconds before the collision, told Bolton Coroner's Court he had driven four feet into the road and slammed on his brakes after believing there was no traffic coming from the right.

Mr Johnson, from Duke Street, Astley, collided with the car and died nearly two weeks later on July 3, 2001, at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

The accident happened at 6.20pm on June 21, 2001, on Newton Road at the Sandy Lane junction.

Accidental death

Assistant deputy coroner Alan Walsh, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, was told visibility along the road was good and the surface was dry.

Mr Messenger said: "The bike wobbled from side to side. It hit my car near the wheel arch and the rider was thrown over the bonnet. He tried to avoid collision by braking."

Following an operation to repair a fractured femur, fat entered Mr Johnson's blood stream, causing breathing complications.

His organs -- including his heart, liver, kidney and lungs -- failed and it was decided treatment should be withdrawn.

Mr Johnson's father, Alan, said his son, who worked as a builder's labourer in Lowton, was an experienced rider who had been involved with bikes from the age of 10.

He said: "He was a good rider and knew exactly what he was doing with bikes. I would always instill in him the need to be wary of other road users."

Mr Messenger was prosecuted for driving without undue care and attention and was fined £300. He received six points on his licence.