A father-of-two died in a car crash after inhaling nitrous oxide just 20 minutes before the collision, an inquest has heard. Callum Knott, 26, suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene on the A51 near Stone, Staffordshire, and died in hospital the following day.
The inquest heard that Knott was driving his partner's Nissan Juke on July 7 at around 9pm, with his partner and their 21-month-old child in the car. The vehicle left the carriageway and burst into flames. CCTV footage showed Knott's partner purchasing balloons at a Tesco earlier that evening, and later Knott was seen driving the car.
Paramedic Connor Smith, who was off-duty, stopped to help. He found Knott unconscious and critically injured, while his partner and child regained consciousness. Knott suffered a cardiac arrest at the scene but was revived by paramedics. He was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital, where life-saving surgery failed, and he died in the early hours of July 8.
Police found nitrous oxide and cannabis in the car. Knott's partner initially denied knowledge of the drugs but later said she had a 'flashback memory' of Knott sucking a balloon before the crash. Phone records showed a video of Knott inhaling nitrous oxide 20 minutes before the collision. Knott only held a provisional licence and had previously been banned from driving.
The inquest continues.
