Canvey Lenny Emberson died in off-road bike crash on road

Lenny Emberson, 22, was test driving the Honda motorbike on April 4, 2022, when it collided with a silver Peugeot.

Yesterday at Essex Coroner’s Court, forensic crash investigator temporary police sergeant James Lee testified that the vehicle was a “dedicated off-road vehicle” and “never intended to be used on a public road”.

It had no lights, no speedometer and its tyres were "not fit for highway use", the inquest heard.

Tragedy - Lenny Emberson (Image: Family handout)

The officer told the court Mr Emberson was calculated to have been travelling in Central Avenue at 42mph. “This is likely to be an underestimate,” he testified, as calculations had “not factored in any braking”.

The Peugeot driver was turning on to a driveway at under 7mph.

The crash occurred at around 4.10pm on April 4, 2022. Mr Emberson was treated by paramedics, then airlifted to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel. He suffered a fractured rib, a punctured lung, a fractured femur and a damaged kidney.

Paramedics arrived minutes after being called and found him in cardiac arrest. He was revived with a defibrillator and taken to hospital. Ultimately, the lack of oxygen to his brain after the accident had caused “irreversible” brain damage, concluded pathologist Dr Benjamin Swift.

Treatment was withdrawn on April 20 and Mr Emberson died at the Royal London Hospital, on April 23, of bronchopneumonia, combined with the effects of his injuries.

Heart of gold - Lenny Emberson (Image: Family handout)

Police questioned the Peugeot driver under caution at Canvey police station, where she declined legal representation and “provided a full account”, said Detective Constable Martyn Wells, from the serious collision investigation unit.

DC Wells reviewed the driver’s dash cam footage and found her driving “careful and considered”.

Residential CCTV showed she did not indicate before turning onto the driveway, he said – but she could not see any other road users when she began her manoeuvre.

Mr Emberson’s family quizzed police officers about the decision not to pursue a charge of causing death by careless driving against the driver of the Peugeot 107.

The coroner ruled Mr Emerson’s death had been caused by a road traffic accident.

Lenny Emberson was described as “a whirlwind... loving, funny, caring and friendly” by his mother following his death. 

Speaking at the inquest, his mother Sarah said: “He had a heart of gold. He would do anything for anyone. Literally anyone.

“At least 300 friends attended his funeral. We’ve done a couple of balloon releases since and there’s still the same amount of people,” she added.

Mr Emberson had recently completed a welding course and was about to start a job in the trade, the court was told, but his ultimate goal was to work with children with disabilities.

Asked for her response to the outcome, Mr Emberson’s mother Sarah said: “It’s what I expected.

“I know he shouldn’t have been out on the bike he was on, but he was. It must have been a rash decision on his part, as he never took his off-road bikes on the roads.”

As the inquest concluded, assistant coroner Thea Wilson told four family members present “how sorry we are as a service that it has taken two years for this inquest to be held, and for this conclusion to be reached.”

“I would just like to express how sorry I am about Lenny’s death. He sounds like a wonderful son, grandson, nephew, brother,” she added.

“It sounds like he is deeply missed by so many people in the area.”