Motorcyclist death investigation

A motorcyclist has died after being hit by an ambulance as he lay in a Wiltshire road.

33 year old Michael James Colley (pictured with his nephew) had already come off his bike and was lying in the road when he was hit by the emergency vehicle. Passers by tried to warn the ambulance driver but unfortunately they did not see him in time. It's not known at this point whether he was still alive at the time. His family have described Michael as 'a charismatic and generous man who was much loved by all that knew him, he will be really missed. We hope that people will smile when they remember him.’

A statement from GWAS said 'Great Western Ambulance Service and Wiltshire Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding a road traffic collision on Black Dog Hill near Calne, Wiltshire, in the early hours of Sunday 14 August.

An ambulance crew was conveying a patient to the Royal United Hospital (RUH) at approximately 2am Sunday, travelling under emergency conditions – with blue lights but no sirens and not at speed. While the crew was en route along Black Dog Hill a motorist tried to flag them down and alert them to the body of a fallen motorcyclist in the road. Tragically, the crew did not see the body in time and the vehicle hit the male motorcyclist lying in the road.

The patient was treated on scene by paramedics and by two doctors from the BASICS service but was pronounced dead by a doctor on scene. The original patient travelling to the RUH was assessed and treated by one of the BASICS doctors on scene and no longer required conveyance to hospital.

Our sincere condolences go to the friends and family of the deceased motorcyclist in this tragic event. We are co-operating fully with the police investigation.'

Wiltshire police Sergeant Chris Moore said 'We can confirm that a fatal road traffic collision occurred shortly after 2:00 am on Sunday 14th August 2011 at Black Dog Hill, Calne. The incident involved a motorcyclist who had already come off of his motorbike and fallen in the road, and an ambulance.

The motorcyclist sadly died at the scene. The circumstances of the collision are under investigation by our Serious Collision Investigation Team. Next of kin have been informed and the deceased has been formal identified as Michael James Colley, aged 33, from the Chippenham/Calne area. Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact the Serious Collision Investigation team at Chippenham on 0845 408 7000.'