direction in August 1997, a Coroner heard yesterday.

Coroner Will Francis will render a verdict on Friday in the inquest into the road deaths of Susan Mills and David Alves.

They were riding south on Somerset Road in the northbound lane when they collided with a car driven by Prison officer Kevin Simons shortly before midnight on August 17, 1997.

Mr. Francis heard expert medical testimony and Mr. Simons' witness statement and some testimony on March 17 and 18.

Co-workers at the Packwood Home, Sandys, Mrs. Mills, a nursing aide, and Mr.

Alves, a King Edward VII Memorial Hospital orderly, were rushed to KEMH where they both died a short time later.

Lawyer Ann Cartwright Decouto represented Alves' family while John Cooper represented Mr. Simons.

Yesterday, Mr. Simons said he was driving north at slow speed after passing a stationary taxi near the Ely's Harbour Cafe.

Mr. Simons, 38, said he had returned to his own lane before seeing the cycle speeding in his direction in his lane.

"After I got back into my lane headed toward Somerset, and as I got near to the bend, I suddenly saw a light coming from out of nowhere,'' Mr. Simons said. The bike came up so fast.'' He added: "I often dream of this. I don't know how much I had travelled. It was a little over the centre line when I first noticed the cycle. I was doing about 15 miles per hour.'' Mr. Simons said he did not see who was riding the cycle. At the scene he was not asked to provide a breath sample for alcohol use.

Eyewitness Juliette Lapsley said she was overtaken by the cycle as she drove down Church Hill, and remarked to other passengers the riders should get over before "they hit something coming around the corner''.

Mrs. Lapsley said the cycle was travelling at about 50 miles per hour.

She gave a detailed description of the white clothes the pillion passenger was wearing, and remembered seeing the passenger flying through the air after the collision.

Under re-examination by Police prosecutor Donald Grant, Mrs. Lapsley said she did not see the person's face but knew the person she saw was the pillion passenger.

Emergency medical technician Richard Lee said he found Mr. Alves some distance behind the car and cared for him until arrival at the KEMH.

Crash specialist Antoine Fox said in most cycle accidents pillion passengers end up further away from collisions because the rider acts as a "ramp''.

P.c. Fox said judging by the debris directly in front of the car, the cycle slammed into the nearly stationary car. There were no skid marks from either vehicle.

Investigating officer Sean Mullan said he did not see any signs of alcohol use in Mr. Simons and was not aware of any charges being laid related to the accident.

P.c. Mullan also said as part of his investigation, the next day he seized a receipt from the Somerset Country Squire restaurant.

P.c. Mullan admitted that at the time of the accident he did not know Mr.

Simons had been at a wedding reception and had drank one glass of wine.

"I observed that he was very upset,'' P.c. Mullan said. "I didn't smell alcohol on his breath. His speech wasn't slurred and he was coherent.''