Crash video is warning to bikers

Tim Hortop called the accident stomach-churning

A police video of a serious motorbike crash near Plymouth is being used as a safety warning.

It shows the scene last June, when motorcyclist Tim Hortop, 42, from Mary Tavy near Tavistock in Devon, and a car collided on the A38 near Plymouth.

The video is now being used by road safety campaigners to increase awareness among motorcyclists of the need to wear safety equipment.

Mr Hortop escaped with only bruises in the accident.

He said: "There was a loud bang, everything went black and I came to with a WPc standing next to me asking me if everything was ok and telling me not to move.

"It was very shocking. It was one of those stomach-churning events where your legs turn to jelly and you feel cold all over.

Traffic police caught the action on video

"It was something that I would hate anyone else to go through."

The video, by a police traffic team who happened to be at the scene of another incident nearby, is being used by the Peninsula Motorcycle Forum in an effort to improve safety for riders.

The Forum includes Devon and Cornwall Police, both Devon and Cornwall County Councils, as well as Plymouth City Council, Torbay Council and the Highways Agency.

Police are not investigating the incident any further.