It appears that neither van driver Roger Bowen nor motorcyclist Larry Thomas had much time to avoid the collision that claimed Mr. Thomas' life, Supreme Court heard yesterday.

Traffic collision expert Dave Greenidge has been giving expert evidence this week in the case against Bowen, who is alleged to have killed Mr. Thomas, 34, while driving over the alcohol limit. He denies the charge.

Mr. Thomas, of Southampton, was heading towards Hamilton when the collision occurred and Bowen was heading towards Somerset. Earlier this week, acting Inspector Greenidge told the jury the van may have been on the wrong side of the road when it collided with the motorcycle on Somerset Road in Sandys in the early hours of April 26 last year.

However, he also detailed how the lights on the motorcycle may have been off at the time, and there was no indication by way of skid marks on the road to show that either vehicle braked to avoid the other.

Yesterday, he continued to detail his conclusions, which are based on factors such as debris at the scene and gouge marks in the road, as well as damage to the vehicles. The damage, he said, indicated that they struck each other at a "glancing" angle rather than it being a head-on smash.

He also told the jury: "One of my conclusions... is that neither the rider nor the driver would have had much time or distance in which to avoid each other.

"This is not to say that there was no attempt, but there was no physical evidence to indicate there was an attempt. There were not any tyre marks on the [road] surface to indicate braking or harsh avoidance steering."

Bowen, 26, of Cambridge Road, Sandys, denies causing death by driving with excess alcohol and driving with excess alcohol. The case continues.