Mick Inceman

Paula Clack’s fiance Mick Inceman had been riding for more than 25 years when he died in an accident on Portway Road, Aylesbury aged 42. Mick died just three weeks before he was due to marry Paula and they planned to open a motorbike-based business abroad in a couple of years time. An inquest found that Mick died instantly of head and internal injuries and gave a verdict of accidental death.

Along with Paula, he left daughters Teri and Roxy and grand daughter Kaitlyn. Paula, who lives in Thame, said: “Mick was a very experienced rider who used his bike every day to go to work and to visit friends. He didn’t have a car. He was a safe rider who never took excessive risks and while he may have sometimes exceeded the speed limit, he rode because of his love of bikes, not because of a love of speed. He had completed an advanced riding course, been on track days at Silverstone, had ridden throughout Europe and been on a mammoth biking trip with his mate to India. His enthusiasm rubbed off on me and he was the most reliable rider I know. Ten months on, I can now talk about it without crying."

"Mick inspired me to take up riding and I have since passed my road test and am now trying to get as much experience on my new bike as possible. I don’t want to discourage people from riding, I just want to give other bikers practical advice and reinforce the message that, no matter how experienced you are, when you ride a motorbike you are vulnerable.”

Advice for bikers and families

Following on from Mick's death, Paula faced a legal minefield and wanted to share her experiences and give some practical advice about how she negotiated it: "My life now would have been so different if Mick had not put in place some practical measures. Mick knew that when he got on a bike he was vulnerable and accidents could happen."

"He had three accidental death policies – I think each time he had come off in the past, he had taken out an additional policy. Without Mick’s life insurance, I would have had to sell my house and move away from my fantastic friends and neighbours because I wouldn’t have been able to pay the mortgage on my own. Without Mick paying for the extra 'in case of redundancy' and 'in case of accident' on his credit cards, I would have faced excessive debts. Mick also wrote a will, without which it would have been very difficult to prove I was actually entitled to anything as we were not married."

"The will and accidental death policies meant his children had money put aside to help them when they are older. Without adequate bike insurance, I could have been liable for damage and loss to the other vehicles and without travel insurance, I would have had to pay for a honeymoon we didn’t get to go on. Although all this makes him sound like a right nerd, he was just practical. In fact, he was the most happy, fun, loving, adventurous, generous, kind and caring person I have ever known and probably will ever know."