The death of an 18-year-old last year was determined to be an accident by an inquest this week, after speculation that the road traffic accident was caused by impaired driving.

Darren Minors, of Crown Hill in Southampton, succumbed to multiple face and skull fractures and compression on August 17, 2001 at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, after he and afriend on the same bike struck a wall on the junction of Radnor Road and North Shore at about 10 p.m. on August 13.

A police investigation did not reveal who was in control of the cycle but Mr. Minors' friend, 19-year-old Dennis Lottimore, was found to have 199 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood - more than twice the legal limit of 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.

When giving his judgement, Acting Coroner Justin Williams repeated Mr. Lottimore's accident scene comment: "I've killed him, he's going to die."

Mr. Lottimore "had no apparent injuries" Mr. Williams said and was taken away by Police while emergency medical technicians fought to save Mr. Minors.

He was found lying down facing the wall with his helmet still on and breathing heavily.

Two key witnesses disagreed on the sequence of events before the accident but do agree on what happened afterward.

Diane Matthews said she heard a scream which caused her and her husband, a reserve police officer, to look in the area and watch the bike strike the wall.

She originally said she saw a young man wearing brightly coloured clothing in control of the bike as it struck the wall and made no mention of sparks flying from the pair's cycle.

But in a statement to Police nine days later, she said she did not see who was in control of the bike.

"I wish to clarify some things. It happened so fast, I just saw the bike hit the wall," she said.

Mrs. Matthews was travelling east on North Shore; Mr. Minors and Mr. Lottimore were riding westward.

CedarBridge Academy student Deneisha Wilson, told the court that Mr. Minors and Lottimore rode past her and two friends who were walking along Radnor road.

She said the bike riders shouted hello, and the girls responded back when sparks began flying from the underside of the cycle: "As if the (bike's) stand had been down."

And Ms Wilson said a person wearing brightly coloured clothes was in control of the bike.

Several witnesses during the Inquest said that Mr. Minors was wearing a bright shirt and Mr. Lottimore was wearing darker clothing.

But Mr. Minors was disqualified from riding and Mr. Lottimore did not hold a valid driver's licence. However, it was known that Mr. Lottimore borrowed the cycle from Mr. Minors earlier that week.

Mr. Williams concluded: "Having reviewed the evidence I am not satisfied that the evidence establishes Lottimore as the rider as opposed to (being) the pillion passenger... The (coroner's) verdict is Darren Minors met death accidentally."

Mr. Williams also offered the court's condolences to his family.

The tragedy turned into a boon for other families as Mr. Minors' organs were donated to a local cousin and four Americans.

That story was run in People magazine and The Royal Gazette.