A US soldier killed a man after pulling her car in front of his motorcycle at a busy intersection, a court heard today.
Airman First Class Mikayla Hayes, 24, was driving home from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk when she reportedly failed to see Matthew Day approaching.
The father-of-one died from serious injuries after his Yamaha motorbike collided with Hayes' maroon Honda Accord at 60mph on the A-road.
The defendant, who denies causing the death by careless driving, claims she did not see Mr Day's red and white motorbike as it “blended into the road and the sky”.
Opening the case, prosecutor Rachel Scott said: 'The central question in this case is whether the defendant's driving was below the standard expected of a careful and competent driver.
Airman First Class Mikayla Hayes (pictured), 24, was driving home from RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk when she reportedly failed to see Matthew Day approaching
The father-of-one (pictured) died from serious injuries after his Yamaha motorbike collided with Hayes' maroon Honda Accord on the 60mph A-road
'The prosecution alleges that there was no good reason why Miss Hayes should not have seen Mr Day's motorcycle coming towards her.
'Visibility was good, his approach was not obscured by road layout or other vehicles. He was there to be seen and he was seen by other road users.”
Hayes was driving home to Downham Market in Norfolk when 33-year-old Mr Day crashed into her car in Southery and was 'thrown into the air', killing her on August 26 last year. He left behind a partner and a daughter who was two years old at the time.
A witness driving for Mr Day said he matched her speed, which was 'well under 60mph'.
A second eyewitness who sat behind Hayes on a motorcycle as she waited to turn right onto the A10 from a B-road said he “saw her head turn from side to side” before she drove forward as Mr Day approached.
The jury at Norwich Crown Court was told that another motorist who stopped at the scene went up to Hayes, who 'kept saying “I haven't seen him”'.
During a police interview, Hayes said she took her “normal route home.”
“She said she looked both ways and saw a clear passage to the left and right, looked again to make sure it was clear and then pulled back,” Miss Scott said.
The defendant, who denies causing the death by careless driving, claims she did not see Mr Day's red and white motorbike as it 'merged into the road (photo)'
The jury at Norwich Crown Court was told that another motorist who stopped at the scene went up to Hayes, who “kept saying 'I haven't seen him'” (Picture: A court sketch by Mikayla Hayes)
The defendant reported seeing Mr. Day's motorcycle when she was “halfway through her turn.”
Hayes was tested for alcohol and drugs and the results came back negative. There was also no evidence she had used her phone, Ms Scott said.
Mr Day had low levels of THC in his system, indicating he had used cannabis at some point before the fatal collision.
But Ms Scott added: 'The evidence does not suggest that he did not act appropriately when Miss Hayes withdrew from him.'
Defense and prosecution experts agreed that 'nothing about the road, weather or driving conditions was a factor', the jury was told.
“They also agree that the main cause of the collision was Miss Hayes driving from a side road into the path of a motorcycle that had the right of way,” Miss Scott said.
However, there is disagreement over how many seconds passed between Hayes' retreat and the collision and how much time Mr. Day had to react.
Ms Scott said: 'The charge is that Mikayla Hayes, by driving too far away, did something that a careful and competent driver should not and would not have done.'
The process continues.