A FAMILY man killed a woman motorcyclist by not looking right as he turned left into a main road, a jury heard.

Stephen Quantrill, 64, told York Crown Court he and his wife Linda, 55, had been on their way home from a trip to see the daffodils in Farndale on Mother’s Day last year when their motorcycle crashed into a Land Rover Discovery driven by Jonathan Stokes, 46.

He claimed as they rode along the A170 with him steering and his wife riding pillion towards the Sinnington staggered junction, he saw Stokes approaching on the side road from the village.

“I was looking at the driver,” alleged Mr Quantrill.

“He wasn’t looking at me. He pulled out without stopping. I started to take evasive action.

“This wasn’t planned, it wasn’t a structured manoeuvre.

“It was a last gasp hope. I was counter-steering like hell to get away from the vehicle.”

He was unable to prevent the collision between the two vehicles and he and his wife were thrown off the motorcycle.

Mrs Quantrill was fatally injured and Mr Quantrill spent 17 weeks in hospital.

Stokes, of Westwick Crescent, Sheffield, denies causing death by careless driving on March 30, 2014.

Mr Quantrill said the couple had been married since 2008 and had ridden by motorcycle together many times both in the UK and abroad.

That day, as well as seeing the daffodils, they had been to Helmsley and Kirkbymoorside and were on their way home to Scarborough when the crash happened.

He claimed he moved his handlebars to make his headlights flash in a bid to make the driver see him.

Opening the prosecution, Sam Andrews said alleged Stokes had been driving his family south after spending the day in North Yorkshire.

They had been aiming to cross the A170 on the staggered junction on their way south, which entailed turning left on to the A170, then immediately right.

He claimed the two vehicles collided at between 49mph and 56mph.

In a police interview, Stokes claimed he had looked right before turning left on to the A170.

He alleged he saw nothing, indicated he was turning and did so at about 5mph.

“If Stokes looked right, he certainly could not have missed seeing the motorcyclist,” alleged Mr Andrews.

The crash happened at about 4.30pm.

The trial continues.