Tragedy as 'very special' biker died in fatal M60 collision after traffic stopped to let ambulance past

A biker who died after being hit by a lorry when traffic slowed to let an ambulance on its way to an emergency has been described as a ‘very special man who is much missed’.

Charles Camilleri, 71, from Salford, was killed after ‘applying heavy braking’ and falling from his motorbike as an ambulance approached on junction 18 of the M60 on September 26 last year. An inquest at Rochdale Coroners Court today (May 9) heard how Mr Camilleri lost his balance and fell into the direction of a passing HGV which had been unable to stop.

Mr Camilleri, a dad of six and stepfather to two, suffered 'fatal injuries' as a result and was pronounced dead at the scene. The inquest heard how the ambulance had been displaying blue lights on route to an emergency. Approaching the Simister Island roundabout, nearby vehicles began to stop to allow the ambulance to pass through.

READ MORE: Police searching for these men after brutal city centre attack

The driver of a white transit van in the right hand lane stopped before hearing a ‘thud’ and noticing the ambulance was struggling to get past. Behind the van, a driver in an Audi A3 also applied the brakes and came to a stop.

Mr Camilleri was on a motorbike behind the Audi vehicle and ‘applied heavy braking’ to cause his vehicle to stop. However, his motorbike became unbalanced and fell to the rear side into the direction of an approaching HGV.

Reading the drivers’ witness statement into evidence, Assistant Coroner Alex Preston told the inquest: “Whilst on the roundabout, the driver noticed the ambulance stop and he continued in order to not block the ambulance. As he did this, he saw the motorcyclist and saw them fall over towards the van’s rear view trailer.”

Julie Jones, Mr Camilleri’s