A 23-year-old driver who was over the legal drink-drive limit and his 18-year-old passenger died after their Volkswagen Polo overturned on the A40 in Pembrokeshire, an inquest has heard.
Aled William Coleman was behind the wheel of the Volkswagen Polo on the A40 north of Haverfordwest in the early hours of 14 September last year. At approximately 3.13am, the vehicle mounted a kerb, skidded and struck a road sign before overturning and coming to rest nearly 100m along the carriageway.
Emergency services arrived to find both Mr Coleman and his passenger, Aled Osian Bowen, trapped inside the stricken vehicle. Both men had suffered catastrophic injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.
Witness and forensic evidence
Inquests into both deaths were held at County Hall in Haverfordwest on Thursday. Evidence presented at the hearings included a witness statement from a passing motorist who discovered the Volkswagen lying on its roof in the centre of the road.
The driver, who dialled 999, said he could see two people inside the car but that they were completely silent, which he described as "eerie". A paramedic who attended the scene reported spotting a bottle of Jack Daniel's on the floor of the vehicle, while the first police officer to arrive noted a "strong smell of alcohol" inside the car.
A forensic collision investigator determined the vehicle had covered a distance of 98.56m before coming to rest following the initial kerb impact. While it proved impossible to establish the Volkswagen's speed on the road, which carries a 60mph limit, the investigator stated that "inappropriate speed was a causation factor".
Toxicology and inquest findings
Toxicology analysis conducted following Mr Coleman's death showed he had a blood alcohol concentration of 131mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, with the legal threshold being 80mg per 100ml of blood.
The inquests were told that Mr Coleman and Mr Bowen were captured on CCTV entering the vehicle in Haverfordwest at 3.06am that morning, mere minutes before the fatal collision north of the town. Evidence revealed that neither Mr Coleman nor Mr Bowen were wearing seatbelts during the crash, and no faults were found with the vehicle.
The senior coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, Gareth Lewis, stated Mr Coleman died from a "traumatic head injury", noting that "alcohol consumption and inappropriate speed were contributory factors". Mr Bowen died from "multiple traumatic injuries".
Family tributes
Mr Bowen's sister Carys Bowen delivered a statement at the hearing in which she described her brother's death as "sudden, violent, and unexpected". She continued: "It is incredibly difficult to put in words what Aled meant to us. He was deeply loved by our family."
Mr Lewis recorded short-form conclusions of road traffic collision in relation to both deaths and offered his sincere condolences to the families of Mr Coleman and Mr Bowen.
In a tribute released following the crash, Mr Bowen's family stated: "He was a cherished son, a devoted brother and uncle, and a source of love and strength to everyone fortunate enough to know him. Aled left us on September 14 and while our hearts are broken we hold tightly to the memories of his laughter and the countless ways he enriched our lives. His kindness and spirit will live with us forever. We are deeply grateful for the compassion and prayers we have already received from everyone. For now we take comfort in remembering him not only as a son and a brother but as someone whose presence made the world brighter."
Mr Coleman's family described their heartbreaking loss of someone "caring, kind, and fun-loving" who will be "massively missed by all his family".
