An engineering apprentice from Thwaites Brow was killed on Wednesday when his motorbike hit a lamp post. Samuel Pickard, 19, of Meadowcroft, Long Lee Lane, was killed when he failed to negotiate a right hand bend at the junction of Harden Road and Long Lee Lane. The accident happened at around 5pm as he was heading home.

He was rushed to Airedale Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. His 125cc bike also collided with a 23-year-old local female pedestrian who was taken to Airedale Hospital and received treatment to a broken right knee.

Samuel - who lived with his parents Ian and Rosalie and younger brother Matthew - was due to finish his engineering scholarship with Keighley and District Training Association next month and had been studying at Keighley College since August.

He had just received a job offer from WASK RMF and was due to begin work there at the beginning of July. KADTAL business development manager Nigel Simpson says: "He was a very bright young lad who was very approachable and always very keen."

Brian Swales, Team Manager for Engineering at Keighley College says: "He was a very sociable sort of lad who had a great future ahead of him and was looking forward to starting his new job.

A student at Greenhead Grammar School until 1998, he enrolled at Keighley College and was close to completing his BTEC National Diploma in Electro Mechanical Engineering

Keighley road traffic police are appealing for anyone who witnessed the accident to contact them on 01535 617059.

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