A SCHOOLTEACHER died in a motoring accident when he was hit by a van which forced him into the path of a car, a coroners court has recorded.

Jeff Gotting, 53, of Hillcrest Way, in Epping was riding his Yamaha motorcycle down Epping High Road in September, 2008, when he was hit by a silver Kangoo van as he tried to overtake it near Tower Road.

Witness Graham Domney told Chelmsford Coroners Court he could see Mr Gotting behind his own VW Transporter overtaking traffic.

He said: “I watched him coming in my rear view mirror. He went past my driver's door and it felt like it was quite close to me. As he came past I tried to follow him with my eyes but he was going quicker than my eyes.

“I heard a bang. The next thing I realised he was skidding across the road into the opposite carriageway where there was a green Mondeo coming towards me. You could see the car was breaking hard. The motorcycle ended up under the front of it. I got out of my van and went across to him.

“The guy was lying on the ground with this large scooter on top of him. We just got it off him because it sounded like he had heavy breathing.”

Donna Green was at the wheel of the Ford Mondeo and had been driving her 13-year-old daughter to St John's School, in Tower Road, at the time.

She said: “The traffic was quite heavy. I can remember seeing the bike coming out in the direction towards where I was and I can remember seeing the other van pulling out. I can remember the motorbike being hit.

“I can remember saying to my daughter 'Oh my God' because I knew it was going to happen, but it happened so fast.”

Orazio D'Agostino was driving the silver van which hit Mr Gotting. He was interviewed by Essex Police but no criminal charges have been brought against him.

He told the court: “There was a car in front that was leaving a large gap in front. I don't know what he was doing.

“I moved slightly out. It was just a slight manoeuvre. I was just seeing what was happening. It happened so fast, I didn't expect him to hit me. It was in a flash literally.”

Mr Gotting died in Basildon Hospital two weeks after the crash.

A post mortem gave the cause of death as multiple system failure due to cardiac infarction caused by multiple fractures sustained in the crash.

Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict of death by Road Traffic Collision.

Mr Gotting was a governor at St John's School, in Epping, and worked as a special needs teacher in London.

He had a son, Callum, wife Heather, and sister Jackie.

At the time of his death, his family described him as “A nice guy who had lots of friends.”