A male motorcyclist was killed yesterday evening after his bike was in collision with a wall and he was thrown overboard, police said.

A Bermuda Police Service spokesman said the collision occurred shortly before 6pm at the junction of Middle Road and Lighthouse Hill, Southampton, to the west of the Waterlot Inn. This marks the 16th road death of the year, the highest in seven years.

The spokesman said the motorcyclist was driving east on Middle Road, when he collided with the wall, was thrown from the bike and landed in the waters of Jew’s Bay.

The spokesman said: “The victim was reportedly pulled from the water by members of the public who began CPR until the arrival of EMTs who continued performing CPR, and transported him via ambulance to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries.”

The spokesman said the roadway was cordoned off and traffic diverted away from the area as the scene of the collision was forensically processed. The roads were re-opened around 8.30pm.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call 295-0011.

The 16 road deaths to date this year equals the number of people who died in all of 2014. The highest number of road deaths since 2001 was 17 in 2008. The highest ever was 26 in 1975, just before helmets were made mandatory.

The 15th fatality occurred on November 3 when a 23-year-old man on a motorbike was in collision with a car on North Shore Road, Smith’s.