Fire crew's film could be key to crash probe
A FIRE officer has spoken of how he and his crew watched in horror as a motorcyclist ploughed into a wall at Lane Head, Brighouse.
Mechanic Chris Camplin, 28, died when his bike, a Kawasaki Ninja, was involved in a collision with a Vauxhall Astra in Halifax Road at the junction with Garden Road.
Brighouse firefighters were on routine home safety work on Friday night and were travelling up Halifax Road when the crash happened.
The crew was first on the scene and Mr Camplin's family has now asked for donations in memory of their son to go to the fire service.
Watch manager Alex MacFarlane said police were looking at film footage from the fire engine's 'silent witness' camera.
"We were going up past Lane Head recreation ground when the bike came over the brow of the hill," said Mr MacFarlane. "The bike was sliding and skidding. It hit a car before sliding into the wall near the phone box."
The bike exploded as it hit the wall and burst into flames. "We are trained to deal with these situations but it is rare we see it happen in front of us," said Mr MacFarlane. "Normally we have time to think about a situation as we go to an incident."
Other emergency services were alerted as firefighters went to deal with the crash and help the rider. "He had severe chest injuries but we gave him CPR and tried to get his airway clear. We placed him on a spinal board and put a collar on," said Mr MacFarlane. "He was unconscious and paramedics arrived and took him to hospital. We did all we could."
Word of the crash soon spread and within minutes shocked friends and family of Mr Camplin arrived at the scene. Floral tributes, a football shirt and a motorcyclist's jacket have been left there during the week.
Full story in this week's Echo
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Weather for Halifax
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 14 C
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