Biker death may put pizza firm in the dock

A Pizza company which allowed a 125cc motorcycle on the road with an oversized luggage box fitted could be prosecuted under the Health and Safety Regulations following the death of its 24-year-old rider, an inquest heard last week.

Ben Aufogul, who worked part-time for Sanchos Pizzas at Commercial Road in London's Isle of Dogs, died in October 1996 from severe spine and chest injuries suffered when the Honda he was riding collided with an oncoming Rolls-Royce in Westferry Street, Isle of Dogs, in wet and windy conditions.

Experts told the jury at St Pancras Coroner's Court that the box, designed for a much larger bike, would have caused a sail effect. But the jury's verdict of accidental death will in no way influence any action the environmental health department of Tower Hamlets Borough Council may decide to take, said coroner Dr Stephen Chan. The Crown Prosecution Service has already decided not to pursue a manslaughter charge.

The Chartered Institute for Environmental Health has complained that only deaths are reported, making it hard to determine whether accident rates are falling as more firms offer training and protective gear. When two Pizza Hut riders died within four months of each other last year (Caterer, 28 August 1997, page 9), the company admitted that minor accidents occurred every month.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents is worried that young riders are put at risk through pressure to deliver in unrealistic times, often in dark conditions, heavy traffic or dangerous neighbourhoods.

By Sue Courteney and Pierre de Villieres