A MAN died after his motorbike collided with a fork-lift truck that was crossing the road.
The 48-year-old motorcyclist was riding down Park Road from Elland towards Brighouse about 8am yesterday morning.
The fork-lift truck was crossing the road and when the two vehicles collided the rare 1970s Norton motorbike burst into flames.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, close to Elland Crematorium.
The motorcyclist, from Halifax, died from his injuries, while the driver of the fork-lift truck was not hurt in the incident.
Park Road was closed while emergency services dealt with the crash but re-opened at about 3.30pm yesterday.
Police are keen to trace the movements of the motorbike before the fatal collision.
Witnesses are asked to contact West Yorkshire Police on 0845 60 60 606.
The news comes as an organisation are launching a campaign warning of the dangers of fork-lift truck accidents during September.
David McGuire, a spokesman for The Fork-Lift Truck Association, said: “We’re in the process of warning people to be careful around fork-lift trucks, because September is always the month with the most fatalities.
“Although these particular circumstances seem quite unusual, people don't really understand the everyday dangers involved.
“The UK has almost 500 serious fork-lift accidents a year – more than one a day. Last year 10 people were killed.
“We’re just trying to get the word out, improve awareness and reduce the accident toll.”
National Fork-Lift Safety Week runs from September 21 to 27 this year.
