Norfolk road where biker killed in crash with RAF Lakenheath servicewoman was 'accident blackspot'

The junction where a motorcyclist was killed following a crash with a US servicewoman has been described in court as an accident blackspot.

Matthew Day, 33, was travelling along the A10 in Norfolk in August last year when 25-year-old Mikayla Hayes pulled out of a side road and across his path.

The father-of-one’s Yamaha motorbike struck her Honda Accord and he died of his injuries later that day.

Hayes, who had been returning home from work at RAF Lakenheath, denies causing Mr Day's death by careless driving.

Speaking at her trial at Norwich Crown Court, expert witness for Hayes' defence and road safety consultant Prof Alex Stedmon said the stretch of road at Southery, near King's Lynn, had a long history of crashes.

"For want of a better expression, it appears to be a hotspot or a blackspot for accidents."

The court was told, in agreed facts between prosecution and defence, that there had been collisions at the site in 2016, 2017, 2019 and early 2023 in addition to the fatal crash in 2022.

"Looking at the statistics altogether we’ve got five collisions documented in the records," Prof Stedmon said.

Prof Stedmon described the junction as "complex", adding: "It’s a complex site and the complexity will add demands to road users at that site."

In an agreed fact, read by prosecutor Rachel Scott, jurors were told that there was a "recorded phenomenon of looked but failed to see".

She added this is also referred to as “sorry mate, I didn’t see you".

"The phenomenon doesn’t necessarily imply a failure to look adequately or a lapse in concentration," said Ms Scott.

The trial continues.