A 22-year-old motorcyclist could have hit a metre-long pothole moments before he died in a crash.

Scaffolder Liam Dixon passed away following an accident involving his motorbike and a Ford Fiesta while he was travelling home from work.

The incident happened at around 5.15pm on January 3 on Rochester Road, near the junction with Laker Road, in Chatham.

An inquest into his death was held at Oakwood House, Maidstone, last week where it was concluded he died from multiple injuries following a road traffic collision.

Area coroner for Mid-Kent and Medway, Bina Patel, said Liam was heading towards Blue Bell Hill when he “lost control” of his Suzuki.

She heard nothing significant was detected in his toxicology report, he was not speeding, was wearing a helmet which came off in the crash and there were no defects with the vehicle.

Miss Patel added: “He lost control, became unseated and slid off into the opposite lane in the direction of a vehicle which was travelling in the opposite direction.”

Giving evidence Detective Sergeant Faye Murphy, who investigated the incident, said eyewitnesses told her the motorbike had overtaken several vehicles closely.

However, she added: “There was nothing to say he was driving at excess speed for that road. The collision was caused by a loss of control.”

DS Murphy also read out accounts from motorists, including Mr Yates who was driving in front of Liam and whose van was hit by the motorbike when he fell off.

She read: “I saw flashing lights and heard something scrapping on the van.

“I could see a body further back on the right-hand side of the road. I got straight out of my van and started to assist with first aid.”

The officer also read a witness statement from Mr Knowles who was driving the Ford Fiesta which was involved in the crash and was driving on the other carriageway towards Rochester.

She said he was driving between 40 and 50mph - the speed limit is 60mph - when he saw “something orange coming towards” him so he started to brake and swerve out of the way.

She read: “I had no idea what I hit as it came so quickly.”

Her colleague PC Robin Youngs, a forensic collision investigation officer, added the drivers of the car and van were dealing with a “rapidly developing emergency”.

He said their options would be to brake and swerve to the left which they did.

He added: “From their perspective the collision was unavoidable.”

PC Youngs agreed Liam “lost control” of the motorbike and although there is no physical evidence as to how, he said it could have been possible Liam hit a “large pothole” in the road.

The officer told the court he recorded one near the edge of the lane which was 4.5cm deep, 1.1 metres long and 31.5cm wide.

He then alerted Kent County Council (KCC), which is responsible for repairs, as he thought “immediate action” was needed.

PC Youngs added: “My main concern was the large pothole. I wanted it rectified before opening the road.

“It may have contributed to the loss of control by the driver.”

The pothole was on the extremes of the lane, near the middle of the road, where it is expected the scaffolder would have been riding along if overtaking.

Despite this, Miss Patel said the exact reason Liam, of Bull Lane, Eccles, lost control could not be determined.

She added: “It is possible Dixon may have been reacting to the presence of potholes in the road or the presence of another road user in the carriageway and this may have contributed to the loss of control.”

Highways manager for Tonbridge and Malling district at KCC, Andy Watson, told the court that Rochester Road is subject to monthly safety inspections and before the incident was checked on December 12.

He said no concerns were raised over a large pothole although “some carriageway defects were marked for repairs”.

Questions were raised by KCC’s legal representative if potholes could deteriorate and become bigger within three weeks which Mr Watson confirmed is possible.

Mr Watson also explained the one flagged by PC Youngs was repaired before the road was reopened on January 3 and the other remedial works were completed on January 29.

However, Miss Patel and Liam’s family raised concerns such a big pothole was missed and requested to see the safety inspection reports.

She said: “I have heard evidence from PC Youngs that there was a significant pothole which needed immediate remedial work.

“My concern is this was not highlighted in the report on December 12. My preliminary view is I will want to write a Prevention of Future Deaths report.”

Following the conclusion, a spokesperson for KCC said: “Our thoughts go out to the family of Liam Dixon at what must be a terribly distressing time.

“Whenever there is a serious or fatal crash on one of our roads we work with Kent Police, expert engineers and coroners to investigate how it happened.

“In this case, the coroner did not conclude that the road surface condition caused the accident. Nevertheless, we have been asked for details about our highway inspection systems and will do all that is required to assist the coroner.

“One death on our roads is one too many and we will continue to make sure we keep our roads safe.”

Following Liam’s death, his heartbroken family paid tribute to the “loving” and “devoted” young dad.

His mum Michelle Parslow said: “Liam was generous, he would do anything for anybody. If one of his friends or family needed help he would do what he could for them.

“Out of all my children, he was the most determined. He would always tell me he would buy his own house and own his own scaffolding company.

“He loved his job, he never wanted to take a day off. He knew what he wanted out of life.

“His life was work and his daughter. He was a well-mannered, caring, loving and devoted dad.”

Liam, who attended Aylesford School before studying construction at MidKent College, leaves behind his two-year-old daughter Daisy.

Floral tributes, balloons, photos, and a hi-vis jacket signed by his work colleagues at Elite Scaffolding have been laid at the crash site.