Young girl died after motorcyclist she was riding with 'lost control' on A27 in Sussex; coroner reaches verdict

India Buchanan, from Rustington, died following a motorcycle incident on the A27 Crockhurst Hill in Salvington on the evening of November 18, 2022 – just four days after her 17th birthday. She had been ice skating with friends in Worthing and was on the way to a party in Havant.

The case was described as ‘truly tragic’ by Joanne Andrews – the area coroner for West Sussex and Brighton & Hove.

She was speaking at the end of an inquest in Horsham, which was attended by a room full of India’s family and friends wearing the late teen’s favourite colour purple. A photo of India was also placed on the coroner’s desk.

India’s mum, Amanda Buchanan-Hills, read a heartfelt tribute to her daughter – describing her as ‘the kindest human being you can meet’, with a unique, distinctive laugh, adding: “I miss that laugh every minute of every day.”

The inquest, which resumed on Monday and concluded on Tuesday (January 20-21), heard that India was riding pillion on a motorcycle driven by a man named, during the inquest, as Jay Thomas. He was 25-years-old when the fatal collision happened.

The rider – who has not faced criminal charges – claimed he had no memory of what caused him to lose control and crash on the A27 westbound at Crockhurst Hill. He admitted to the coroner he was not familiar with the road but had no concerns about his capability to navigate it safely.

Despite not thinking at the time he had struck a pothole, he made this claim in a police statement after a friend re-visited and inspected the scene, the inquest heard.

A paramedic, who was one of the first people on the scene, provided a statement which was read by the coroner.

This revealed that Mr Thomas spoke to his mother on the phone after the incident and she, on loudspeaker, said: “I bet you were driving like an idiot and a bit quick.”

Mr Thomas allegedly responded: “I guess I was.”

The inquest also heard that bodyworn camera footage proved Mr Thomas told police he was travelling between 48 and 50mph. He later said this was not correct and said he was suffering from a head injury at the time.

He later changed the estimated speed to between 35 and 40mph.

The motorcycle rider told the coroner that he had no concerns about India being on the back of his bike – and she had no problems with his driving.

PC Ian Lumbar, of the Sussex Police forensic investigation team, told the coroner that there was some ‘delamination’ on the road. He conducted tests with different motorbikes and established the condition of the road may have been ‘contributory’ to the collision but not the cause.

The police officer – who attended the scene of the crash shortly before 10.30pm – said there was ‘no sign of ice’ on the dry road, whilst visibility was excellent with ‘excellent’ street lighting.

He concluded that the rider ‘likely’ deployed excessive or inappropriate speeds but he could not guarantee this.

The inquest also heard from Craig Wood, service manager for National Highways. He told the coroner that the ‘delamination’ was not deemed to be a ‘safety defect’ after weekly checks were carried out. The road was, however, resurfaced in November 2023.

The coroner considered ‘misadventure’ and a ‘narrative conclusion’ as possible outcomes – but eventually decided that India’s death was as a result of a road traffic collision.

She reminded those in the room that this was ‘not a court of blame’ – with ‘no criminal liability’.

Ms Andrews said: “My role is to establish the facts about the sequence of events that are more likely to have occurred.

“He [Mr Thomas] lost control just prior to left hand bend on a 40mph, single carriageway road. The road had high friction coating and there were signs of delamination with a deduction in height of 25mm.

"There was no immediate repair needed as it was less than 40mm and would be monitored. There is no evidence to say it was unsafe to drive.

"Mr Thomas thought it was due to a pothole that the front wheel dug in and the bike was thrown up but he could not recall what happened.

"A friend had been back to the site and reported the presence of a pothole.

"He thought he was going at 40mpm but did not look at the speedometer. It was based on his opinion.

“He told police it was up to 50 but said he had a head injury at the time. There was evidence of conversation with his mum but I cannot recall an exact speed.

"There is no independent evidence as there were no witnesses to the loss of control itself.

“PC Lumbar said it could have been between 36 and 42mph but it was unreliable and variable.

“It has been suggested there had been no collisions in this area in the last ten years. I do not dispute this but it does not assist me.

“We are left with possibilities rather than probabilities. There is no objective evidence about how he lost control or the speed he was travelling.

“I can say it was a minimum of 40 but nothing further.”

The coroner also paid her respects to India in her conclusion, describing her as a ‘much-loved daughter, sister, niece and friend’.

She added: “I cannot imagine the impact her loss has had and continues to have.

"Her caring nature has been demonstrated to me. She was only 17 and this is a truly tragic case.

"She had a passion for motorcycling and she planned to be a motorcycle mechanic.

"I am extremely grateful to her family and friends for their participation as it must have been incredibly difficult."