A TEACHER at a west Wiltshire school has escaped with his life following a horrific crash near Trowbridge in which his motorbike snapped in half.

Jerome Faget, a science teacher at the George Ward School in Melksham, was thrown 40-metres into a ditch after losing control of his motorbike at Wingfield crossroads on Monday.

It is believed Mr Faget may have skidded into the path of a car after his bike did a wheelie.

Police are investigating the cause of the crash and have not ruled out criminal charges. Officers are collecting witness statements and will interview Mr Faget.

Mr Faget could be off work for the rest of the school term as he recovers from a broken collarbone.

He was treated at the Royal United Hospital in Bath but allowed home on Wednesday.

Colleagues at the Melksham secondary school, where he has worked for two years, were left shocked by the accident. Headteacher Dr Pam Stoate said yesterday that fellow teachers had sent get-well messages to their injured colleague.

"We were very shocked but just so pleased to her that he escaped with the injury he did," she said.

"From what I understand he is extraordinarily

lucky to be alive. It could have been much, much more serious.

"We are still taking it in ourselves so have not had a chance to tell pupils yet."

Police and paramedics were called to the crossroads at 4.20pm on Monday, where they found Mr Faget's Triumph 955cc motorbike broken in two.

Mr Faget was hurled from his bike after hitting a Vauxhall Astra, driven by a motorist from Bath. Police sealed off the traffic-light-controlled crossroads for more than two hours, causing tailbacks in Trowbridge as rush-hour traffic was diverted.

Police are reiterating safety messages following a series of fatal accidents on Wiltshire's roads already this summer.

A 41-year-old biker was seriously injured when he lost control of his sports bike on the A3102 between Hilmarton and Calne on Saturday.

Engineer Robert Gray was taking his 14-year-old son for a spin when he skidded into a verge.

Tony Read, a 48-year-old biker from Lacock, was killed just six days earlier when his Ducati motorbike crashed into a car at Blacklands, between Calne and Devizes.

Police predict they will face a summer of fatalities involving bikers following one of the worst periods of multiple death crashes ever seen in west Wiltshire, with carnage stretching from Trowbridge to Warminster.