Man dead, another injured in a midnight monkey bike tragedy
A 24-year-old Cranbourne man is dead and his mate is injured after a long weekend away turned to tragedy.
The men were camping at Baldwins Lane near Stradbroke in Gippsland when a midnight motorbike ride went horribly wrong.
Like many young men Luke Staveley loved camping, motorbikes and being with his mates.
"A great bloke, you know, respectful," a friend told 7 News.
As part of a long weekend getaway, the group of 15 arrived at a remote campsite near Stradbroke in Gippsland.
Just after midnight, two went for a ride on their monkey bikes.
As Luke tried to follow on his larger bike, he collided with a mate.
His friends heard the crash.
They tried to save Luke but there was nothing they could do.
His 22-year-old friend was flown to the Alfred hospital hurt, but alive.
Investigators say this crash was a tragedy waiting to happen - it was pitch black, the bikes didn't have lights and the riders weren't wearing helmets.
"Certainly riding motorbikes on tracks in the middle of the night with no lights is not exactly a safe thing to do at the best of times.
"And unfortunately on this occasion it's resulted in an absolute tragic circumstances," said Senior Sergeant Stephen Hill.
