A coroner has recommended a change to the law to make the wearing of helmets on quad bikes a legal requirement.

Jane Hughes’ call came after the death of a man from Glen Maye.

Patrick Lewis, 58, died after being thrown from the vehicle which he had been riding on the A24 Foxdale to Douglas Road, near the Archallagan plantation in March.

Mrs Hughes concluded that the crash was an accident, but said the recycling business owner may have survived had he been wearing a helmet.

She described Mr Lewis as having experienced a ‘momentary loss of concentration’, which resulted in the quad bike mounting the grassy verge along the roadside.

Alternatively, it was suggested that he may have been trying to avoid an unknown object in his path.

The court heard that Mr Lewis had forcefully steered the bike an attempt to being the bike onto the road, subsequently resulting in the quadbike hitting a hedgerow.

Checks found the vehicle, which he had bough last summer, to be in good condition and free from defects.

The coroner said that she would be sending a letter to infrastructure minister Chris Thomas recommending that the island’s laws be brought into line with jurisdictions like Northern Ireland, where it is a legal requirement to wear a helmet on quad bikes.

During the inquest, it was heard the Mr Lewis had left his business at Stoney Mountain and decided to take the quad bike due to the day’s nice weather, having planned to pick up some sausage and egg baps for lunch with his daughter.

He was not found to have been travelling excessively fast for the conditions when the accident occurred. The cause of death was found to be severe head injuries.

Mrs Hughes gave her condolences to the family after what she called a ‘truly tragic accident’.

Whilst the penalty for not wearing a helmet on a quad bike in Northern Ireland is £500, there is no requirement to wear one in England, Scotland and Wales.

Under the Manx Highway Code, it is a legal requirement for motorcycle riders and passenger to wear a helmet.

However this is not the case for cyclists, with any proposal to introduce this legislation here having been dismissed in 2020.