Scooter death inquest - Experienced rider Marco Palombo, 31, may have been "clipped" by a turning car

Published: 16 June 2011
by RICHARD OSLEY

A MOTORIST who died after losing control of his scooter in Hampstead may have been “clipped” by a turning car, a coroner has ruled.

Marco Palombo, an experienced scooter driver, was travelling  north  along Finchley Road when he was thrown from his vehicle during the evening rush hour on November 5  last year.

An inquest heard the 31-year-old, who lived in Whetstone, knew the route well and was wearing layers of protective clothing and a crash helmet when he lost control of his vehicle near the junction with Lymington Road and Arkwright Road. 

Police have so far been unable to trace the driver of a car seen on CCTV turning left and say it was impossible to know for sure if it clipped the scooter. .

Assistant deputy Coroner Gail Elliman recorded a verdict of accidental death, but said there was a “measure of uncertainty” surrounding the circumstances.