‘No mechanical failures’ in car crash that killed teenagers in north Wales, inquest hears
There were “no catastrophic mechanical failures” with a car carrying four teenage boys who were killed when it left a road and became submerged upside down in a ditch, an inquest has heard.
Hugo Morris, 18, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Jevon Hirst, 16, died in November last year when their car left a rural road after they set off on a camping trip in Eryri national park (Snowdonia).
Their bodies were discovered in the partially submerged vehicle two days after they were last seen in Porthmadog on 19 November, following an extensive search for the boys when they failed to return to their homes in Shrewsbury.
The car could not be seen from the road, and was spotted by the passenger of a refuse recycling truck driving past on the morning of 21 November.
The cause of death for all four teenagers was recorded as drowning, and postmortems found none of them had any internal or external injuries.
An inquest into their deaths, which resumed on Wednesday, heard there were “no catastrophic mechanical failures” with the car, and the crash was “avoidable”.
The silver Ford Fiesta was being driven by Hugo, who had passed his driving test six months earlier, and evidence suggested he had driven around a tight bend “in excess” of the speed needed to navigate it safely, the BBC reported.
The North Wales police forensic collision investigator, Ian Thompson, said there was an “understeer” of the car as it navigated the bend, and he calculated its maximum theoretical speed as 38mph.
“Having driven the bend myself, the fastest speed I felt comfortable negotiating the bend was 26mph,” he said.
The legal speed limit on the road, the A4085 near the villages of Garreg and Llanfrothen, was 60mph.
The inquest also heard the car’s two rear tyres were about half the required inflated pressure for carrying four people.
Thompson said he did not believe the rainy weather or leaves on the road caused the crash, and that police records did not show any previous fatal or serious collisions on the bend.
A Snapchat video posted by Wilf earlier that day suggested all the teenagers were wearing a seatbelt, WalesOnline reported, and the driver was not making any calls on his phone at the time of the crash.
Tributes to each of the boys were read out by the coroner at the start of the inquest hearing.
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Heather Sanderson, Wilf’s mother, said: “He was a well-liked boy at school. He was such good company, with a sense of humour. We were blessed to have him in our lives for 17 years. We are proud to be his family.”
Melanie Hirst, Jevon’s mother, said he was a “very loving son” who liked the outdoors and going walking, and was “happiest when he was at home with his family”.
Dominic Morris, Hugo’s father, said his passion was skiing and he had a husky and loved The Lord of the Rings.
“He was confident – a giver of warmth, joy, and mirth. He had fallen in love with north Wales. His mum helped him pack the car. He was happy and looking forward to the weekend. The world is shattered, bent, and crooked now,” he said.
A family tribute to Harvey said he was “charismatic and carefree”.
“He had everything to live for. He was a trendsetter, unique and an old soul. He was wise beyond his years,” they said. “We are now living in every parent’s worst reality. We have to face a lifetime of grieving, the life he should be living. The joy has gone from our lives.”
The inquest continues.