Not knowing what caused fatal crash which killed veteran biker has just led to more pain, family say

Why was the veteran biker killed in a freak accident when a car suddenly swerved across the road and ploughed into him head-on?

But his grieving relatives left Preston Crown Court still wondering after driver Sola Silas failed to give a reason for his dramatic lurch into the path of oncoming traffic.

Silas, 40, of Warbreck Road, Blackpool, could not justify his behaviour, leaving the “living nightmare” to continue for Mr Hall’s family almost two years after he was cruelly taken from them.

The care worker was spared jail by a judge and was instead handed a 30-week sentence suspended for two years after admitting causing death by careless driving. He was also banned from driving for 12 months and ordered to do 300 hours of unpaid work.

His defence barrister told Judge Graham Knowles KC that Silas “wished it had been him that died in that collision and not to have to live with the guilt he must bear for the rest of his life, being responsible for the death of another human being.”

Mr Hall’s daughter Sally Kavanagh told the court that not knowing what caused the crash was “adding to the pain” the family had suffered since Mr Hall’s death in October 2023.

“My dad was innocent in all of this. I need to make sense of it. All I want is the truth as to what happened.

“We need to know what happened in that car and why my father had to die.

“I will never find peace until I get to know the truth.”

Mr Hall, called Ian but known as Joe, was out for a ride on his Yamaha FZS machine with friend Frank Drake and the two had ridden up to Glasson Dock. They were travelling, one behind the other, through Knott End when they reached an S-bend in Lancaster Road.

Relatives left the court as video footage from CCTV cameras was played on a big screen. It showed the two bikers passing parked cars. A Vauxhall Corsa came into view travelling in the opposite direction and suddenly, without any reason, it swerved across the carriageway and smashed into Mr Hall.

Motorists and passersby, including a nurse, rushed to his aid and the air ambulance was called. The court heard he had been thrown into the air and had suffered multiple injuries, Despite being conscious for a while at the scene he deteriorated and died from multi-organ failure five days later in hospital.

Judge Knowles was told that no defects were found on either the car or the bike and Silas returned negative results for both alcohol and drugs. Tests by road investigations officers showed both vehicles had been travelling within to 20 mph limit.

Moments after the crash witnesses said Silas got out of the car saying: “What happened, what happened?” He then started saying: “Oh my God, oh no.” One passerby said he looked in “total shock, breathing heavily in a panicky manner.” Silas was said to have said: “I can’t explain what happened. It was just there and I collided with the bike.”

Also in the car was another care worked and the two had been on their way to visit a patient. She said they had been “chatting normally” just before the car swerved across the road.

Daughter Sally read out a victim impact statement in which she said: “I have been devastated by the death of my lovely dad. It’s so painful and the longer it goes on the harder it becomes having to relive those moments over and over.”

She said that it was worse “knowing my dad has been taken from us because of someone’s careless actions.

“My dad was always so careful on the roads and so respectful. He was snatched away when it wasn’t his fault. I should still have my dad, he should still be with us.

“I have regular flashbacks of him taking his last breath and praying he would pull through.”

She said she had not seen Silas show any remorse, apart from at the court hearing when he sent the family a letter saying how sorry he was.

Mr Hall’s widow Karen said the two had met on a blind date and had been married for 35 years. “There was never a dull moment with him,” she said. He was her best friend and her soulmate.

He had been fighting back after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022 and after treatment the prognosis looked positive. “But life can be very cruel sometimes.”

On the day of the collision he had dropped her off at work and had then gone off for a day out riding with his pal. She managed to get to the hospital while he was still conscious, but soon after he deteriorated.

Five days later he “could no longer fight and it was then I had to say my final goodbye. The future is too painful to think about without my soulmate in my life.”

Turning to face Silas, who was staring at the floor in the dock, she told him: “You took away my husband’s life. You took away my family’s plans for the future. You put a hole in my heart.

“You chose to prolong this living hell for more than 19 months. I will never forgive you.”

The court was told Silas had come to the UK from Nigeria in January 2023 to work in the care industry. He had been suffering from PTSD at the time of the crash. He had lost his own father in a car accident – he was in the vehicle at the time – and had also been kidnapped in Africa and tortured for ransom.

Defence barrister Rachel Woods said her client recognised the “catastrophic consequences of his driving on that day”. She added: “No-one in this court could not have been moved when the victim impact statements were read out, which spelled out the pain and long-term effects and consequences of what happened that day.”

She said the family’s suffering was continuing because of a lack of an explanation about what happened on that road.

“I would dearly love to be able to tell this court an explanation of what happened. (But) He can’t or doesn’t have an explanation about what happened and why it happened. He simply can’t explain it himself.

“I hope the family do accept his genuine and heartfelt remorse.”

Judge Knowles said Silas had no previous convictions and his character had been “impeccable” until the day of the collision.

He told him the sentence of the court if the case had gone to trial would have been 40 weeks in prison. But he reduced that by 25 per cent because of his guilty plea.

The judge added: “I must consider whether it is possible to suspend the sentence. Would it be appropriate to suspend it.”

He decided it would be, although he warned Silas that breaking any of the conditions of the suspended sentence he would be brought back to court and “it is almost certain you will go to prison.”