MOTORCYCLIST DIES AFTER HITTING DEER

A MOTORCYCLIST who died after hitting a deer in Nettlebed has been described as a “gentle giant”.

Yawo Avou, 63, from Medmenham, was travelling on the unlit A4130 towards Wallingford at around 5am on Monday last week when the fatal collision took place.

Mr Avou, an HGV driver at Grundon Waste Management and Recycling in Benson, struck a deer which ran out into the road, causing him and his Yamaha FJR 13000 to land on the carriageway.

He was treated at the scene by South Central Ambulance Service before being taken to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, where he passed away three days later.

His friend Luke Ayling, 49, a builder who lives off Greys Road in Henley, worked as a mechanic at Grundon for more than
20 years.

Mr Ayling, who described him as not having a “bad bone in his body”, worked alongside Yawo for more than 10 years.

He said: “He was such a lovely person who had time for everybody. He didn’t have a bad bone in his body and was always smiling.

“Yawo could be having a really bad day but he would always find time to make somebody else smile.

“You could also be having a bad day, or just be down in the dumps, and you would speak to him for five minutes and realise life isn’t so bad.

“He was infectious and a gentle giant who had a way of lifting people up — there aren’t many people like him left in the world, sadly.”

Mr Ayling added: “Yawo had such a funny nature about him and was so laid back, but not to the point that he didn’t care because he genuinely cared about everybody around him.”

While reminiscing about his life with a close friend, they recalled a day when he flew and crashed a brand-new drone.

Mr Ayling said: “He came into work with one of these drones and we joked, saying ‘Do you even know how to fly that?’ and of course he said he did.

“Within half an hour, he had crashed it into something, and we were all in hysterics.

“We had to climb up to get it down from these big fuel tanks while he stood there laughing, saying ‘Maybe I need lessons’.” Mr Ayling said this has been a reminder to him to “not take life for granted”.

He said: “The only reason it’s such a dangerous road is because of the deer. I know around four people who have hit them and written their car off.

“If your odds run out while driving on a motorbike through woodland at around 50 miles per hour, then sadly, you have such a slim chance.

“We all think tomorrow is a given when, sadly, it’s not. We really shouldn’t take life for granted.”

The almost 30-mile stretch of road, which runs from a junction with the A404 at Burchetts Green in Maidenhead to the A417 at Rowstock in Oxfordshire, has seen about 10 fatal incidents since 2003.

Jon Blundell, 57, a partner at Lady Sew and Sew in Henley who lives in Port Hill, didn’t see the crash but saw the aftermath, including the deer, which was left on the side of the road.

He said he was always concerned for the safety of his children, Sam, 24, and Tyler, 21, who would use the path on the main road to walk to and from school in Nettlebed.

He said: “We’re a bit bemused how it’s 40mph at the junction in Nuffield, where there aren’t very many houses, but where there are a few between Nuffield and Nettlebed, it’s the national speed limit.

“When we moved here, we knew it was a national speed limit, but what we don’t appreciate is how many people completely ignore that.

“It’s bad at the weekends, particularly as the bikers head up to the café in Wallingford, so you get this constant scream from bikes and cars haring down there.”

The UK’s deer population is estimated to be at its highest level for 1,000 years, rising from an estimated 450,000 in the mid-Seventies to around two million.

Mr Blundell added: “There’s an awful lot of deer in the woods here. When we go out with our dogs at dusk or dawn, it’s guaranteed that we will see them.

“They become a lot more active at this time of year too, as the red deer rut from now until November.” According to the AA, more than 400 drivers are injured in accidents with deer every year.

It advises drivers to be vigilant, be prepared to slow down or stop if you see one, use your high-beam lights and not to swerve.

Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the victim of this tragic incident.

“We will work with our partners at Thames Valley Police, once they have carried out any investigations, to see if there are any improvements that can be made to increase safety.

“As part of our Vision Zero programme, aimed at eliminating fatalities and serious injuries from road collisions in Oxfordshire by 2050, we are also currently carrying out a review of speed limits on all A and B roads in the county, which we are responsible for.”

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses with dash-cam footage. Call 101, quoting reference 43250521996.