A caring father who died in an off-road motorcycle crash had pulled a wheelie on his vehicle before losing control and colliding with a wall, an inquest has heard.
Cameron Samuel Rees, known as Sam, was killed after crashing into a wall in a rear lane between St David’s Road and Brook Terrace, Tair Gwaith, near Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, in Neath Port Talbot.
Neighbours attempted CPR on the 26-year-old following the incident before paramedics arrived but he was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest held at Swansea Guildhall heard how Mr Rees, of Maes Gareth Edwards in Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, was an experienced off-road biker and would go riding on Sundays after first carrying out a series of safety checks on his bike - an orange KTM.
On Sunday, August 30, last year Mr Rees had met with three other friends at the end of the rear lane to go riding on a mountain.
But as they drove off from the lane, with Mr Rees at the back, the father-of-one pulled a wheelie on his bike from which he failed to regain control and was thrown over his bike into a wall.
DS Paul O'Connell told the inquest the incident had been caught on dash-cam of a neighbour who had just returned from a trip to Mumbles with his father and who was parked in his Mazda car further up the lane with the camera still running.
He said: "Sam was at the rear of the four riders and pulled a wheelie and starts to overtake the rider ahead.
"He was seen to lose control and veer first to the left and then to the right and seconds later collided with the wall with force.
"His motorcycle continued up the lane without the rider. His friends stopped immediately and residents came out on hearing the impact."
DC O'Connell said driving conditions that day were good and the road was dry with 'no contaminants' on it and that Mr Rees' fellow riders all reported seeing the bike travel up the lane without him on it following the impact.
He said one neighbour with first aid experience attempted to perform CPR on Mr Rees as emergency services were called.
PC Christopher Westren, of South Wales Police's forensic collision unit, said the bike did not have an MOT but one wasn't needed if it was solely for off-road use.
He added Mr Rees was wearing a helmet in good condition and body armour, which was "over and above" what was legally required, and the bike's tyres were also in good condition.
He said a "defect" had been identified with the clutch which although not the cause of the loss of control of the vehicle may have contributed to Mr Rees being unable to regain control of the bike. Members of Mr Rees' family told the inquest they believed the "defect" was in fact a design feature of the bike.
Describing Mr Rees as an experienced off-road motorcyclist, he added: "In my opinion he made an error of judgement to pull a wheelie and under those circumstances and in a confined space and once balance has been lost Mr Rees has struggled to regain control."
Mr Rees' family had previously paid tribute to him. In a moving statement they described him as: "A much-loved son, stepson, brother, stepbrother, brother-in-law, grandson, uncle, nephew, cousin, partner, friend and father to his wonderful little boy Calan.
"Sam was a happy, cheeky chappy who always had a smile on his face and he was loved by all who knew and met him.
"Sam was one of the nicest people you could meet and he always had time for everyone he knew. Sam loved being outdoors and riding his motorbike with his friends and family.
"Sadly, on this occasion, Sam's life was taken much too soon whilst he was out doing what he loved to do on his motorbike."
The inquest was also read a statement by Mr Rees' partner, Gemma Lewis, who described him a loving and caring partner who loved spending time "doing everything together" with his son.
She said every Sunday was a "bike day" for Mr Rees who would conscientiously carry out comprehensive checks on his motorbike before he went out off-road biking and would come home covered in mud before jet-washing his bike.
Assistant coroner Aled Wyn Gruffydd there were no substances in Mr Rees' body which had played a role in his cause of death and that a post-mortem examination determined the cause of death as chest injuries due to a road traffic incident.
He concluded the death had been due to a road traffic incident and added: "It is testament to Sam the amount of people who wanted to come here today which clearly shows the high regard he was held in."
