A TEENAGER died while attempting to overtake another car on a wet, unlit road between Oswestry and Trefonen, an inquest has heard.
Aiden George Pritchard, 19, and of Ascot Road in Oswestry, died at the scene in Trefonen Road on Wednesday, January 19 after a three-car crash at about 5.20pm.
At his inquest at Shrewsbury's Shirehall on Tuesday, September 13 – resuming from January 25 this year – Mr Pritchard's parents attended and heard from Shropshire coroner John Ellery.
Mr Ellery told the court that on January 19, Mr Pritchard was driving a grey BMW car along Trefonen Road when he was involved in a three-way accident.
The coroner told the court that Mr Pritchard had tried to overtake a red Peugeot car, whose driver John Clarke gave evidence to say he was driving at around 40 miles per hour, before he hit a white BMW coming in the opposite direction.
The court also heard from Mr Ellery that the overtaking took place on a stretch of the road with double solid white lines, which means cars must not move from their lanes.
OTHER NEWS:
- Queen's chaplain from north Shropshire pays tribute after death of monarch
- Oswestry pub hit by hike in energy bills
- Wetherspoons to cut prices for one day only this week
Mr Clarke, via written submission, added that Mr Pritchard had been driving behind him and up to his bumper in a way that was "too close for comfort".
He added: "He had been for a minute before he did overtake, but when he overtook me I noticed the white car.
"I thought 'he’s not going to make it', and he swerved."
The white BMW, driven by Lucy Davies, was hit by the grey BMW, and Ms Davies said in her own written submission that she expected Mr Pritchard to slow down, but instead he increased his speed.
She said: "I was slowing down for the bend and I saw the red car and then the grey car. I thought, no way they’re speeding up."
Michael Jones was a front seat passenger in Mr Pritchard's vehicle and Mr Ellery read out a statement to police.
In it, Mr Jones admitted that the driver was "going too fast" but added that he was "not sure if Aiden was accelerating or not".
Mr Jones added: "He broke harshly before he hit [the red car] and made a decision to go around it."
The court also heard that members of the public tried to give Mr Pritchard medical assistance, which was continued by police and then paramedics, but he died at the scene.
Mr Ellery also told the court that Dr Ellen Cobby, who carried out the post-mortem, confirmed that Mr Pritchard suffered multiple significant impact injuries consistent with being in a road traffic collision, which was given as his cause of death.
Meanwhile, toxicologist Kerry Taylor confirmed that Mr Pritchard was found with 'moderate' levels of cocaine and low levels of alcohol in his system.
Mr Ellery gave his condolences to Mr Pritchard's parents as he recorded a conclusion of death by road traffic collision.
He added: "It seems that he has tried to overtake Mr Clarke and hit the oncoming car of Lucy Davies."
A Go Fund Me launched after the crash raised more than £6,000 for the former Oswestry rugby player.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here