A 47-year-old man from Harlow in Essex died on Sunday [September 12] when he appears to have lost control of his motorbike on the M23 at Crawley, crashing and being thrown into the southbound carriageway.
 
It is thought that the man was travelling home northbound near junction 10 from a motorcycle rally in Brighton when the collision occurred at 3.57pm. He collided with the central reservation barrier and was thrown into the opposite carriageway where he was hit by a trailer, carrying a car, being towed by a Mercedes Sprinter van, driven by a 29-year-old man from Coulsdon in Surrey.
 
Insp Andy Judson from Sussex Police's Road Policing Unit said: "It is not clear at this time what caused the motorbike to lost control, but the result was devastating and extremely distressing for the many people who witnessed the collision or its aftermath. The northbound carriageway was closed for about five hours and the southbound reopened around 11.15pm. I appreciate that this caused considerable disruption in the area, but it was a complex recovery, investigation and clean up operation and I should like to thank people for their patience and understanding.
 
'A number of witnesses have come forward, but if you have not yet spoken to us, please call 0845 60 70 999 quoting Operation Beechcroft.'

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