A biker was ‘attempting to overtake when he crashed into a Royal Mail lorry’ on the A361 north of Highworth on Monday (17 March), according to police.
Sergeant Rich Hatch, from the Serious Collision Investigation Team, said members of the public who stopped to help may be traumatised by what they witnessed.
The incident, which happened at around 12.24pm, left a man – aged in his 30s – with life-changing leg and pelvic injuries.
The biker had been attempting to overtake a white van when he struck an oncoming Royal Mail DAF lorry. His bike was destroyed on impact.
The man was treated by other motorists and the police ahead of ambulance crews and critical care medics from Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance.
After being stabilised at the scene, he was airlifted to the Major Trauma Centre at Southmead Hospital in Bristol for urgent care. He remains in a serious condition.
“I would like to thank the members of the public who assisted with the collision yesterday in what was a very challenging scene”, Sgt Hatch said.
“We acknowledge that those who witnessed the incident may be suffering from some trauma and want to signpost them to some support.
“We’d urge you to contact the charity BRAKE or speak to your own GP if you think you need some help with trauma management”
He continued: “We would like to remind people that these collision scenes are evidential, and debris left at the scene is potentially crucial evidence to our investigations.
“We also ask that witnesses do not move debris before emergency services arrive.”
The road was closed between Highworth and Lechlade until around 10am this morning (Tuesday), as forensic collision investigation work was carried out.
Anyone with information or dashcam footage relating to the incident is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation Team at Wiltshire Police on 01225 694597 quoting log 106 of 17 March. Alternatively, you can email [email protected].
