Three teenagers who died after a car drove into the River Wear drowned, an inquest has heard. The incident occurred on September 29 when an Audi A3 plunged into the river in County Durham.
Jackson Duke, 17, died along with Luke Etheridge and Zara Shaw, both aged 16. An inquest opening hearing was held for Jackson, followed by one for Luke at Sunderland City Hall. A hearing was scheduled to take place later on Monday for Zara.
Coroner extends condolences
Sunderland senior coroner David Place extended his condolences to Jackson’s parents who attended the seven-minute hearing. Mr Place said it was “a tragic loss for the whole of the city”.
Coroner’s officer Vicky Ross outlined the background to the incident and said Northumbria Police were called to the Panns Bank area of Sunderland on the afternoon of September 29, following reports that four people in the car had gone into the Wear.
Post-mortem findings
She said one of the occupants had “self-extricated”, but the other three “tragically could not” and were located later by divers, still in the Audi. Ms Ross said: “The circumstances surrounding the incident are subject to an ongoing investigation by Northumbria Police.”
Mr Place said the provisional cause of death indicated by the post-mortem examination was “likely to be consistent with drowning”. The cause of death for Luke was the same, it was said at a separate hearing attended by family members. The coroner adjourned both hearings until January 21 next year.
Tributes paid
At Sunderland’s Premier League match against Brighton, fans and players paid tribute to the teenagers who studied at Sunderland College. Before the game, players stood around the centre circle while fans applauded. Sunderland players also wore black armbands during the match.
