Biker ran down birthday guests

A biker overtook a coach and ploughed into two women enjoying a birthday celebration, a court heard.

Tymoteusz Bieszczanin, 25, lost control of his motorbike and collided with Manuela Overleitner, 42, and Karin Wollinger, 46, near Buckingham Palace.

Bieszczanin hit the women while overtaking a coach travelling on the X90 route from Oxford to Victoria on 16 June 2018, it was said.

Members of public rushed to help the two women who ended up lying on the pavement in Bressenden Place, Southwark Crown Court heard.

Ms Overleitner, who was celebrating her 40th birthday, suffered a seizure after the impact.

She was left with a broken nose, fractured cheek and fractured eye socket.

Ms Wollinger suffered fractures to her eye socket, cheek bone, jaw and nose.

Giving evidence coach driver Stephen Wardle told jurors he had driven the same route, twice a day, for ‘at least’ ten years.

He was driving along the perimeter of Buckingham Palace where the road bends left before a right hand turn at the traffic lights, jurors heard.

Recording equipment on his coach showed the bike clip the front right hand edge of the coach as it slowed from 15mph to near standstill to make a right hand turn.

The coach driver positioned himself in the centre of the three lanes, slowed down and carefully checked the road behind due to the dangerous swing, particularly wide due to rear wheel swing.

Footage of the collision was played in court as Mr Wardle said: ‘It’s a bit tight in a 56 foot coach, you position yourself within the road to give enough angle to get around the corner to prevent wheel swing, the vehicle will move out five or six foot.

‘It’s the longest wheel coach that you can get legally, there isn’t’ any longer than that.

‘I was travelling from Oxford to London, to Victoria station.

‘As I turn down in here I’m looking for that gap, in the middle of the road, nice and safe, I started indicating, in the middle of two lanes.

‘Then it cuts in on my right,’ he said,

‘What else can you do?

‘I have done it literally thousands of times. The biggest risk is cyclists.

‘I’m checking the mirrors on both sides, then the last check is the driver’s side, then I’m concentrating on the left tail swing.

‘It’s after this where I remember hearing a motorbike.

‘I realise it’s quite a high revving, perhaps moving a bit fast.

‘I was drawn by the noise not the bike, I never ever saw the bike.

‘I’m really concentrating on the bike because it was loud.

‘If somebody was coming I would have waited until it passed.’

Bieszczanin, who suffered minor injuries, later told investigating officers he believed he was travelling at 25mph and was going straight ahead.

‘I was next to the coach when the rear wheel came in front of me and so I tried to go around,’ he said.

‘I was going 25 miles per hour here, I was not speeding on that road.’

He tested negative for drugs or alcohol, the court heard.

Bieszczanin, of Malcolm Road, East Croydon, south London, denies two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

The trial continues.