AN inquest into the death of motorcyclist James Barnett, who died two days after Christmas, recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mr Barnett was riding his Kawasaki motorbike when he ran into fallen power cables, knocked down by a car seconds before.

The 20-year-old Lackham College student was driving on the A360 near Potterne on December 17 with his passenger Elizabeth Buckle.

The inquest revealed the tragic series of events leading up to Mr Barnett's death.

Colin Crumpler from Trowbridge had picked up his friend Tim Powdril from Market Lavington in his VW Golf and they were planning to meet some friends in Andover.

As they travelled south along the A360 they changed their plans and turned around in a lay-by and headed towards Devizes.

Mr Crumpler lost control of his car on a bend near Larborough Farm.

In a statement to the police he said: "For some reason the car was moving to the right. It got out of control and started swerving from side to side."

The car veered off the road across the opposite lane and crashed into a ditch striking a telegraph pole. The pole snapped leaving the cables lowered over the road.

Both men got out of the car and Mr Powdril rang the police on his mobile phone.

"I heard a motorbike coming from the same direction we were going," said Mr Powdril.

Seconds later Mr Barnett, travelling along the same stretch of road behind the car, struck the cables.

Miss Buckle said: "I saw the red lights on the offside of the road. I just thought it was a car parked there. A split second later I just felt a big bump. I just remember sliding along the floor on my back. I got up and called Jim."

Miss Buckle found Mr Barnett in the dark and immediately realised he had been seriously injured.

He had been caught across the neck by the cables and catapulted across the road taking Miss Buckle with him.

Coroner David Masters read from Miss Buckle's statement: "He was moving his arms and gesturing to his head and neck area. He had difficulty breathing. I took off his helmet. Then other people arrived."

Mr Crumpler said: "I did not even know there was a collision, I didn't know why there were people on the road."

Mr Powdril told his friend to ring an ambulance and then he phoned his mother who lived nearby and was a nurse. She came to the scene and put Mr Barnett in the recovery position and tried to help him breathe.

When the paramedics arrived he was already dead.

His parents Dave and Claire Barnett, from Littlemarsh, Semington, asked many questions during the inquest including how soon after the impact their son had died.

Mr Masters said he was sorry to say that Mr Barnett did not die on impact but he believed he died some minutes later.

A post mortem examination revealed that the cables had ruptured the muscles in Mr Barnett's neck causing a haemorrhage.

A police examination of Mr Crumpler's car revealed that there were no faults with the vehicle. Mr Crumpler is now facing prosecution.

Mr Masters said he believed Mr Crumpler was possibly affected by a momentary distraction and he overcorrected, which lead to the swerving and the vehicle going out of control and hitting the telegraph pole.

He said speed was not an issue for either driver.

"I believe James did not see the wire across the road. All that could have been done for him was done."