Bike racer dies after inhaling BBQ fumes

THE SON of a well-known classic motorcycle racer died in his sleep after inhaling fatal fumes from a barbeque while he slept in the back of his van, it has been revealed.

David Swallow, 29, son of classic racing legend Bill Swallow, had spent the day with his father at the Bob McIntyre Memorial Classic motorbike meet at East Fortune Raceway in East Lothian. After the racing finished the pair enjoyed a barbeque but tragedy struck when Mr Swallow placed the portable fire in the back of his van to keep him warm while he slept.

He was discovered unconscious by his father the next morning, having inhaled carbon monoxide poisoning in his sleep. Mr Swallow died in hospital four days later, on June 24th this year.

His father Bill Swallow, 59, said: “When we came back it had got a bit chilly and the barbecue was just outside with a bit of heat in it. We put it in the back of David’s van and sat round it to keep warm. We’d decided to stay on the circuit, so David was sleeping in his van, I was sleeping in mine.”

Mr Swallow snr added: “We were told that David fell into a deep sleep after we left and there was just enough of the barbecue still going that it was giving off carbon monoxide for the first hour or so while he was asleep.”