A biker has been left stunned after a insurance company forces him to cover accident on a bike that he had already sold on to a new owner.
A bewildered biker could be forced to pay tens of thousands of pounds after a man died on the motorcycle he had sold him days before.
A legal loophole means Paul Duffy could be liable for all insurance costs for the accident which claimed the life of banned driver James Bryson , despite having no link to it at all.
Bryson bought Paul’s Kawasaki Ninja on August 13 but was not insured when he smashed into a Toyota Yaris near Arbroath seven days later.
But because Paul forgot to cancel his policy, his insurance firm MCE Insurance are liable for the crash and can claim the costs from him in court.
Paul, from Methil in Fife, warned all drivers to cancel their insurance “the second” they hand over registration documents for any vehicle they sell.
The 48-year-old, who is recovering from leukaemia and cares for his disabled wife, said: “Lawyers said that because Mr Bryson had died and had no insurance, they would be paying out on my policy.
“Because he chose to buy my motorcycle, I am, in the eyes of the law, giving him permission to ride the bike and I am in breach of my contract. So if I have any assets, MCE can take them from me to recover costs.
“I am effectively having to pay for an uninsured driver having a fatal accident.
“I have never broken the law. I don’t even have as much as a speeding ticket.
“But I have been told this is the law, and I have no protection or rights.
“I honestly thought that once the bike was sold, it was no longer my responsibility.
“I feel this is something every law-abiding, insurance-paying person should be aware of.”
Paul sold the Kawasaki ZX10R for just under £3500 to Bryson, who took the bike away on a 4x4 after filling in the paperwork and registration documents.
Bryson, 28, from Dundee , was serving a four-year driving ban when he was killed.
The father of one was treated at the scene next to a stone wall on Seaton Road, Arbroath, but paramedics could not save him.
Bryson was jailed for six months for driving a friend’s car through Arbroath while being chased by three police vehicles and while nearly three times the drink-drive limit in January.
He was released from jail last month and went on holiday to Bulgaria with his girlfriend.
MCE Insurance, from Merseyside, refused to comment.
