The rider of a motorcycle which was ‘started with a screwdriver’ rather than a key was seriously injured in a collision with a parked car in Swindon this afternoon.
The crash in Headlands Grove happened at around 4.30pm this afternoon and involved a KTM 390 Duke motorcycle and a silver BMW.
The rider, a man in his 20s, has been taken to Great Western Hospital with serious shoulder injuries and minor wounds to his face.
Early indications suggest the motorcycle may have been stolen with police having discovered foreign object – possibly a screwdriver – in the ignition, according to an eyewitness at the scene.
It was initially reported that the rider was wearing shorts and flip flops, but this is not correct – he was wearing trainers and jogging bottoms. Clothing was removed or partially removed on crash impact giving eyewitnesses the impression he was barefoot and in shorts.
The Roads Policing Team is asking anyone with information, who hasn’t already spoken to police, to contact them by calling Wiltshire Police on 101 immediately.
The road, between Marshland Road and Greenlands Road, will remain closed in both directions as a specialist collision investigator works. The closure will be in place until at least 8pm.