A motorcycle courier from Wembley crashed into the back of a lorry in and died after being momentarily blinded by the sun, an inquest heard today.

Frank Chaves, 42, of The Avenue, ploughed head-on into the tailgate of the delivery truck parked outside a Sainsbury’s supermarket on Harrow Road, Paddington.

He suffered massive chest injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene half an hour later on the morning of 16 February this year.

The ‘happily married and loving father’ had been riding motorbikes for 10 years and worked as a courier for eight years.

He had been involved in a minor collision just three days before the fatal accident and was riding a replacement bike at the time.

Sainsbury’s customer service assistant Gored Junior told Westminster Coroners Court he heard a ‘loud bang’.

“The motorbike had come through the cones and just hit the tailgate of the lorry, the rider did not look at me or the lorry, he was looking ahead,” he added.

Lorry driver Vince Paxton said he also noticed the blinding sun.

The inquest heard Mr Chaves, who came to the UK from Brazil in 2001, had complained to a friend that the replacement Honda 125cc bike had temperamental acceleration. But police analysis failed to reveal any mechanical fault that would have impacted on the accident.

The collision was captured on CCTV and showed Mr Chaves was travelling at 31mph on the 30mph road.

It also showed the glare from the sun along the road.

Coroner Dr Shirley Radcliffe said: “This is simply a tragic accident, more likely than not caused by the low lying sun.

“I shall therefore record that Frank Adrian Chaves has died as a result of haemorrhage due to a traumatic aorta tear.”

Verdict: Accident.

Related link: Motorcycle courier from Wembley killed in Paddington crash