A MOTORCYCLIST died after being crushed to death under a cargo truck's wheels, an inquest heard.

Drawing technician Phillip Russen, of Elm Road, Walthamstow, was riding home on his motorbike in slow-moving rush hour traffic in Angel Road, Edmonton, when the horrific accident occurred.

Mr Russen, 50, who was single and never married, died instantly.

Walthamstow Coroner's Court heard that a Citroen car touched Mr Russen's bike, causing it to slide into the middle lane of the busy North Circular and under the wheels of a truck.

He suffered extensive fractures to his skull and pelvis.

Engineers Alan Knott and Darren Harris were the only witnesses to the accident, which occurred on July 3 last year.

They were in a van in the outside lane a couple of vehicles behind the car that collided with the motorbike.

Mr Knott said: "The traffic came to a stop, I was braking quite hard.

"I saw the back of the bike lift up, and then the driver and the bike slid together between the two wheels of the truck.

"The driver of the truck would not have had a chance, he would not have known it had happened."

The driver of the Citroen, Argon Kurpali, said he believed it was the truck and not his car that first collided with the bike.

He said the truck hit the bike, which then bounced off the bonnet of his car before going back under the lorry.

But accident investigator PC Christopher Dunn said that all the physical evidence, including damage to the Citroen's wheel arch, was consistent with a collision between the Citroen and the bike.

Mr Russen's sister-in-law Denise Russen, from Shenfield, Essex, said: "I knew him for about 20 years, he was a fit and healthy man, very active and very sporty."

Coroner Dr Elizabeth Stearns said that the road surface was in good condition, as were all three vehicles involved in the accident.

No drugs or alcohol were found in any of the drivers' blood streams and speeding was not a factor in Mr Russen's death.

The road was slightly damp as it had just began to rain, but it is not believed that was a contirbutory factor.

Dr Stearns said: "It is quite clear that this is tragic and devastating accident.

"The truck went over the body causing catastrophic injuries, the comfort to the family is his death must have been instantaneous."

Dr Steans recorded a verdict of accidental death.