A man died after he lost control of his motorcycle and hit a wall last night.

Ricardo Gibbs, 40, was seriously injured in the crash on Harbour Road, Paget, near Highwood Lane, at about 11.20pm.

He was taken to hospital but later pronounced dead by medics.

Mr Gibbs, a 20-plus year veteran of the Royal Bermuda Regiment, is the first roads death of 2019.

He served as a Corporal in the RBR Regimental Police.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Curley, the RBR’s Commanding Officer, said: “He will be a massive loss to all ranks in the Regiment and will be sadly missed.”

Col Curley added: “I knew him well and he was always keen and enthusiastic. He liked doing his job — he was always punctual and understood what his role and tasks were.

“Corporal Gibbs was also happy to interact and help the other soldiers in the Regimental Police unit as well. He was dedicated and always went above and beyond.

“He was the kind of soldier who made things happen in his support role.”

Sergeant Major Luis Pereira, who completed the 1997 recruit camp with Mr Gibbs, said: “Ricardo was one of these people who liked to put on his uniform and cared about what he did — he was proud to do his duty.

“He was quiet and very caring, but assertive — someone who got on with the job and always had an ear for everyone else.

“He was a good soldier who enjoyed his service and was a mainstay of the Corporals’ Mess for many years.

He added: “They will miss his years of experience in the mess and in the Regiment as a whole.”

Mr Gibbs was born in Jamaica, but moved to Bermuda as a child.

He signed up with the RBR when he was 18 after two years in the Junior Leaders, and joined the Regimental Police in 2002 after a stint as a storeman in Training Company.

He was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and Diamond Jubilee medals, and assisted in hurricane recovery efforts in Bermuda and Grenada.

Police have appealed for witnesses to the fatal crash.

Anyone with information should contact Sergeant Preston Gill on 295-0011.