VIDEO: Horsham motorcyclist falls from bike into oncoming traffic while attempting wheelie

Horsham motorcyclist Lee Oliver falls from his motorcycle in Uckfield

Lee Oliver, of Horsham, crashed while travelling at more than 70mph on the B2102 Bellfarm Road in Uckfield on Sunday May 18 last year.

Oliver, 38, of Oakleigh Road, was given a suspended prison sentence and was banned from driving for four years after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Prior to the crash, Oliver had reached 130mph on the Cuckfield bypass and fellow rider Lee Cunningham, also from Horsham, had travelled at a speed of 137mph.

Police said Oliver was attempting a wheelie when he lost control of the motorcycle and fell off, rolling into an oncoming van.

The van was forced to brake and was struck from behind by the following car, while Oliver continued to slide along the road for 15m past the van.

Both Oliver and Cunningham had fitted cameras to their bikes to record their journeys and speedometer, meaning police knew what speed they had travelled at and the crash, at 9am, was caught on camera.

A dashboard camera on the van also recorded the incident. To watch the footage from both vehicles, click here.

Cunningham, 39, of Brighton Road, Horsham, and Oliver both pleaded guilty to dangerous driving when they appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Friday February 6.

Both were given an 18-month suspended prison sentence, banned from driving for four years and told to do 200 hours of community service. They were each also ordered to pay a £1,000 fine and £700 costs.

Sergeant Huw Watts, from Surrey and Sussex roads policing unit, said: “When you watch the video, it seems amazing that Oliver escaped with just minor injuries and concussion.

“If he had come off his bike just seconds later he could have gone under the wheels of the van and been seriously injured or even killed.

“Motorcyclists are vulnerable road users who usually come off worst when they are involved in a collision but this case shows how some can put themselves at risk by abusing the fact that their machines can go fast and perform stunts.

“Every road user needs to think whether they are putting themselves in unnecessary danger and what they can do to avoid a trip to hospital.

“The roads are no place for stunts or speeding.”