A packet of photographs lay unprotected in the rain on the Causeway yesterday, spilled open onto the road near the wheels of a car. A few feet further on, a helmet rested in the road, washed by the rain - the helmet which failed to save the life of Bermuda's first road fatality of 2005, 34-year old Scott Gibbons.

The bike Mr. Gibbons was riding lay shattered between two cars, headlights smashed, the seat burst open, a raincoat and tools also spilled onto the road. Police and Fire Service investigators swarmed over the scene, while on either side of the Causeway commuters waited in subdued silence, knowing something serious had happened.

Police media spokesman Dwayne Caines spoke to the media several feet away from the scene of the collision, explaining what Police knew shortly before 11 a.m. yesterday.

A Works and Engineering truck, travelling west on the Causeway, broke down and came to a stop approximately 300 metres from Blue Hole Hill in St. George's earlier in the morning, Mr. Caines said.

The truck appeared to have suffered a puncture to its front right tyre. The driver, Mr. Caines said, got out of the vehicle and was directing traffic around his truck.

Witnesses said the motorcycle was travelling west at high speed, though Mr. Caines could not confirm the speed of the vehicle. It is understood the rider, Mr. Gibbons, was overtaking cars in an attempt to negotiate his way west through the traffic jam caused by the broken-down Works and Engineering truck.

Just before he reached the truck shortly before 9.15 a.m., however, he collided with two cars. One was travelling east; the other, waiting behind the truck, was travelling west.

While the motorcycle remained trapped between the cars, its rider appeared to have flown over the handle bars into the wall bordering the west-bound lane. He suffered serious head injuries, and was pronounced dead on arrival at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital at 10.20 a.m. by an on-call physician.

The gruesome scene on the Causeway left those who saw it shaken.

"It was something very unpleasant to see," Mr. Caines admitted.

No one else was injured, he added.

Traffic was backed up on both sides of the Causeway as Police spent a thorough two hours investigating the collision.

"The Bermuda Police Service extends its sincere condolences to the deceased's family," Mr. Caines said.