Inquest of ‘caring’ and ‘beautiful’ Northamptonshire woman who died after e-scooter collision
An inquest into the death of a Northamptonshire woman, who died following a collision with a motorcycle while using an e-scooter, was held in Northampton earlier this month.
Thirty-five-year-old Tabatha Duroe died after the e-scooter she was using collided with a Ducati motorbike on the afternoon of June 28, 2025, with her death being ruled the result of a road traffic collision – she had been crossing the 40mph-limited road.
Assistant Coroner for Northamptonshire, Jonathan Dixey, determined Tabatha’s cause of death was due to a head injury, agreeing with the conclusion of the pathologist, Dr Frances Hollingbury.
In his conclusion, coroner Jonathan Dixey said: “At or around 16.45 on June 28, Tabatha was crossing the carriage at a uncontrolled pedestrian crossing point.
“As she was crossing the carriageway a motorcycle collided into her.
“The cause of death is recorded as road traffic collision.
“I put on record my condolences to the family for their loss."
A witness who was first on the scene described the incident as ‘total devastation’. He had noted that the weather on the day was clear and bright, and that the Ducati rider – a man on his own – was ahead of him when the motorbike entered Jubilee Avenue.
The collision was reported to Northamptonshire Police at 4.51pm and, upon arriving at the scene, PC Mitchinson said the e-scooter – a privately-owned, Busbi Wasp model – was ‘significantly damaged’. The officer found headphones on Jubilee Road, Corby, still playing music when he picked them up – they were connected to Tabatha’s mobile phone.
Mr Dixey said: “It seems to me there’s no doubt Ms Duroe ought not to have been using the e-scooter on the public highway, as it was not insured or MOT’d (both are required, as e-scooters are legally classed as motor vehicles).
“An issue is whether or not she was riding the scooter at the time, evidence from scene is inconclusive. I accept that it is more likely that Ms Duroe was riding the scooter at the time.
"A question arises if the motorcycle was being driven at excessive speeds. I have a degree of caution as to if he was just over the speed limit or not.
“It is possible he was driving at a speed which may have just provided an opportunity to prevent the collision from occurring.”
The Ducati had been riding along the road, with collision investigators noting that there was approximately 48 metres from when the Ducati became visible from the crossing point, and that most drivers would have responded to a person in the road in around 1.5 to two seconds.
PC Mitchinson said: “It’s likely he looked past her to the next hazard, expecting her to have seen him.”
Police say the road surface was not a factor in the collision, although there had been some patch repairs to road and centre line was faded, which is not uncommon for the area.
The Ducati had no defects that may have contributed to incident, and the rider had a full licence. A toxicology report showed the Ducati rider was not under the influence of drugs.