Published: Friday, 5th September, 2008 12:00
Biker Bobby dies on lunch break
By Jonathan Kelly
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THE devastated parents of a cancer-surviving motorcyclist tragically killed after he was knocked off his bike on his first day of work have paid tribute to their son.
Twenty-one-year-old Robert Richards, who was known to everyone as Bobby, had beaten non-Hodgkins lymphoma when he was younger and was on his lunch break on his first day at work as a mechanic in Reading when the accident happened.
He had always loved working on cars and bikes but had been off work for some time suffering from vibration white finger, a condition caused by repeated and frequent use of hand held vibrating tools.
Philip Richards, Bobby’s father said: “Bobby was fun loving and brilliant. He always enjoyed life to the full whether he was fishing or with his motorbikes. He was so vivacious and would always do what he wanted to do.
“Everything he enjoyed doing he did well.
“He would tell me ‘dad I’m not going to live to be very old, but I’ll enjoy myself while I’m here’.”
His funeral was held at Easthampstead Park Crematorium on Tuesday where hundreds of friends and family members turned up to show their respects, even having t-shirts printed with a picture of Bobby on the front and the message ‘Rave in Peace 1987-2008’ on the back.
Bobby’s mother, Maria, said: “The crematorium today proves how much he was loved, every seat was filled and people were standing at the back.
“They are just a fraction of the people that Bobby touched. He made me so happy. He was my sunshine boy because he always made me happy.
“He always made friends easily. If you met him you would be a friend because that is what he was like. I’ve never known anybody who didn’t like Bobby.”
Bobby had been riding motorcycles since he was 12 but had only passed his full motorcycle test a couple of weeks earlier allowing him to buy a powerful Suzuki Bandit 600cc bike.
It was this bike he was riding when he had his accident.
Bobby died last Thursday having been in a coma for a week following a motorcycle accident on the Inner Distribution Road near the junction with Great Knolly’s Street in Reading.
Maria said: “He was such a good looking lad who fought cancer and here we are now, it is so painful for us.
“His life was over in a second, he never regained consciousness after the crash.”
Bobby’s younger sister suffers from lupus, an autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack its own cells and can be fatal.
His parents have therefore asked that anyone who wishes to pay their respects to Bobby should make a donation to Lupus UK at www.lupusuk.org.uk
Police have launched an appeal for witnesses to the accident, which happened at around 3.15pm on Wednesday, August 13 on the IDR in Reading near Great Knolly’s Street and also involved a black and silver Mistubishi L200 pick up truck.
Any witnesses are asked to call PC Brendan Austin, of Three Mile Cross Roads Policing on 08458 505 505.
No arrests have been made.
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