A 46-year-old man died after his electric unicycle directed him onto a busy dual carriageway, where he collided with a lamppost, an inquest heard. Benjamin Wells-Lane was riding on a 40mph section of the A338 in Bournemouth when stationary traffic ahead forced him to swerve off the road. He died at the scene from internal bleeding and injuries to his aorta.

Wells-Lane, a handyman originally from Utah who had relocated to Poole with his wife the previous year, was using a navigation app that frequently routed him onto the A338. His widow, Trisha Wells-Lane, described the road as unsafe for cyclists and argued it should not be marked as a bike route. She said her husband was a skilled and experienced rider who wore a helmet, protective clothing, and a high-visibility jacket. She also noted that the electric unicycle he used was illegal for use on British roads and lacked efficient emergency braking.

Sergeant Mike Burt of Dorset police explained that the traffic congestion was caused by a van driver who stopped to retrieve an item. Wells-Lane joined the A338 from a slip road but encountered the sudden traffic jam immediately, leaving him unable to stop in time and resulting in the collision with the lamppost.

Trisha Wells-Lane spoke of her husband as a passionate environmentalist who preferred traveling by foot or on his unicycle, expressing sorrow over the tragedy. She said the response from others, even those who never met him, had been one of sadness and highlighted his memorable personality.

The coroner, Richard Middleton, ruled that Wells-Lane’s death was the result of a road traffic collision. The case raised questions about the suitability of certain routes for non-traditional vehicles like electric unicycles and the reliability of navigation apps in directing users onto roads that may not be safe for such travel.