A 23-year-old Sikh in the UK, who died last year after his bike hit a van, was not wearing a helmet because of his religious beliefs and may have suffered a seizure before the crash, a court was told.
Kulraj Singh Kalsi died from a severe head injury after the crash in Dewsbury, a minster town in the metropolitan Borough of Kirklees in West Yorkshire, in April last year.
Kalsi's motorbike struck the passenger side of a van while it was entering into a compound, Kirklees Coroner's Court heard.
An eyewitness told the inquest he had seen Kalsi and his bike go 'airborne' following the collision, The Examiner reported today.
The law states that all motorcyclists must wear a helmet; Sikhs, however, are exempted as the helmet may interfere with their turbans.
Investigators suggested that Kalsi's vision may have been affected by wind and drizzle as he was not wearing a helmet or a visor.
Coroner Mary Burke concluded that Kalsi had died as a result of the accident.
"There's no evidence that suggests Kulraj was slowing down as the vehicle was beginning its manoeuvre and it's not possible to say why he was in the position he was," she said.
Burke said Kalsi, who had epilepsy, may have suffered a seizure before the crash.
"It may be that Kulraj became unwell and he suffered from some health issues that prevented him from slowing down," she added.
