A POPULAR Basingstoke man died after losing control of his motorbike having taken a legal high, an inquest heard.

The inquest at Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard that Jamie Hill crashed into a white Nissan car travelling along Oakridge Road, Basingstoke, on November 1, 2015 and died of an abdominal haemorrhage.

The 25-year-old, of Sycamore Way, Winklebury, was riding his Yamaha along Sherborne Road towards the junction with Oakridge Road when the accident happened.

Philip Painting, who was driving the Nissan towards Aldermaston Road, told the inquest: “As we got level with Sherborne Road my wife shouted or screamed or made some noise. I had a glimpse of something and then there was an almighty crash.”

The bike had gone into the passenger side of the car, where Mr Painting’s wife, June, was sitting.

He added: “My wife was bruised and battered and very distressed so I stopped to help her.”

Asked by Jamie’s father, Andrew Hill, if he had swerved, Mr Painting replied: “I didn’t have a chance to do anything.”

Mrs Painting told the inquest: “In a fraction of a second I saw this wheel fly across the white line. It all happened so quickly and the next thing I knew I was in a lot of pain.”

Neil Pollock, who was driving along Sherborne Road with his wife at around 2.15pm, told the inquest that he saw Mr Hill’s motorbike pass him, going slightly over the speed limit of 30mph.

He said: “To our horror he just seemed to keep going and keep going. We could see this is getting too late to stop and we both said to each other ‘stop, what are you doing?’. The next thing he’s completely t-boned the Nissan.”

He added: “It’s as if he wasn’t paying enough attention.”

PC Drew McDonnell, from the forensic collision unit at Eastleigh, told the inquest that Mr Hill’s motorbike was found in fifth gear and he had carried out an emergency brake, suggesting that he could have been distracted or reacted too late upon seeing the Nissan.

A post mortem examination revealed Mr Hill had methadrone in his blood, suggesting he had taken it for recreational use.

PC McDonnell added: “He saw the need to brake heavily, close to the junction, causing him to lose control. The drugs found in his system in my opinion must be considered a significant factor.”

He said Mr Hill’s motorbike was on its side at the time of impact.

Recording accidental death, north east Hampshire coroner Andrew Bradley, said: “He may be exceeding the speed limit but not dramatically. He’s under control at that point and seems to be doing well, what he doesn’t seem to do is take notice of the junction."

Paying tribute to Jamie following the inquest, Mr Hill told The Gazette: “He’s like me, he would go out of his way to help anyone anywhere they were or whenever they needed."