Bystanders praised for attempts to save mountain bike rider's life

But despite the combined efforts of members of the public and emergency services personnel, the man could not be saved and died from the injuries he sustained.

James Edward MacPherson was about to open his first cafe in Melbourne when he traveled to Hobart with friends in March 2022.

A coronial report, published on Wednesday, January 10, outlined the details of the 29-year-old's death at the popular Maydena Bike Park north-west of Hobart on March 11.

Coroner Olivia McTaggart said Mr MacPherson had more than six years of experience mountain biking and was a "competent, intermediate rider".

On the day of the incident, Mr MacPherson had his own safety gear, including gloves, knee pads, goggles, and a new helmet he had purchased for the trip.

At about 12pm on March 11, the group began riding on a track called Dial It Down.

After riding for 200 metres, Mr MacPherson's friend, who was riding ahead of him, heard a bike rattle behind him followed by a loud thud.

The friend said the sound was so unusual that it caused him to turn rapidly and fall off his own bike.

When he was able to look behind him, he found Mr MacPherson was conscious and lying face down about an arm's length from his bike.

The friend said Mr MacPherson appeared winded, had injured his left wrist and right collarbone, and was in obvious pain.

After gaining awareness of his predicament, Mr MacPherson asked for an ambulance and his friend called the isolated bike park's emergency number.

At 12.20pm, an off-duty paramedic who worked at the park attended with two of her colleagues before calling an ambulance helicopter to extract Mr MacPherson.

The off-duty paramedic suspected Mr MacPherson had a collapsed lung.

At 12.30pm, an off-duty registered nurse riding at the park asked whether she could assist.

The off-duty nurse assessed Mr MacPherson's condition as serious. He was having difficulty breathing and began to spit up blood in increasing amounts.

At 12.50pm, Mr MacPherson began to lose consciousness and soon went into cardiac arrest.

Under guidance from a doctor, the off-duty paramedic inserted a bicycle spoke into his chest to stop air from accumulating between his chest wall and lung.

At 1.22pm, a paramedics arrived and unsuccessfully attempted to revive Mr MacPherson.

Ms McTaggart said Mr MacPherson died as a result of severe blunt trauma, including bleeding, of the chest and lungs.

Ms McTaggart praised the first aid and treatment provided to Mr MacPherson.

"[It was] of a high standard despite the remoteness of the location, limited first aid resources, and the severity of the situation," Ms McTaggart said.

"They could have done nothing more to assist Mr MacPherson."

Ms McTaggart said she found no problems with Mr MacPherson's bike or the track, where another rider fatally crashed in 2018.

"I am satisfied that the bike park had appropriate policies and procedures relating to user safety in place at the time of Mr MacPherson's death," she said.

Ms McTaggart said she gave her condolences to the family and loved ones of Mr MacPherson.