A BIKER lay unconscious beside a road for half an hour after a headlong crash into a wall before anyone stopped to help him, his saviour has said.

Phil Hogarth had just left the village of Westgate in Weardale, County Durham, when the back wheel of his Yamaha motorbike inexplicably locked causing him to veer and ride face first into a stone wall.

The 21-year-old, who lives in nearby Brotherlee, was knocked unconscious and lay by the side of the road for more than 30 minutes after the accident at about 9.10pm on Saturday, December 7.

Mr Hogarth, who had been on his way to work at a supermarket in Consett, was discovered by passing motorist Steve Race and his daughter Beth who gave first aid and called for the emergency services.

Mr Race said: “I saw the bike lying on the side of the road with its lights on, which instantly struck me as strange.

“I stopped and looked, and quickly saw the rider lying on the verge.

“I spoke to his family afterwards and we reckoned that he had been lying there for at least half an hour.

“What worries me is that motorists will have gone past him but no-one stopped to help.

“I find it hard to take that not one person thought to stop and see what was happening and if somebody needed help.”

The accident occurred on the A689 just east of Westgate, the main road through Weardale.

Mr Race said: “Even when the ambulance had arrived, people were still driving past at full speed.

“It is really disgraceful, if he had suffered more serious injuries then that time could have meant the difference in him living and dying.”

Despite being unconscious, Mr Hogarth suffered no serious injuries and was released from hospital the following day.

Mr Hogarth, whose bike helmet absorbed most of the impact from the crash, said: “I would like to thank Steve and Beth for stopping.

“It is worrying to think that other people went past but did not stop.

“Had I suffered internal injuries I could have bled out in the time I was lying there.

“Even if people don’t feel safe stopping, they could still call the police to report what they have seen.

“I remember leaving home and the bike just locking, but then my next memory is being in the ambulance.”