Five young men killed in a collision between a Volkswagen Passat and a police vehicle on the A66 were identified through fingerprint analysis, inquests have heard.
Inquests opened into deaths
Inquests opened at Teesside Coroner’s Court into the deaths of Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and Michael Robert Cahill and Jakub Matusiak, both 23. Police had named Mr Matusiak as Jacob.
Paul Appleton, area coroner for Teesside and Hartlepool, said there was a collision on the A66 between a police vehicle and a Volkswagen Passat in the early hours of August 22.
Identification and causes of death
He told the hearing that "all occupants of both vehicles were sadly pronounced dead at the scene".
In separate hearings, Mr Appleton said the young males were identified through fingerprint analysis, Teesside Live reports.
The causes of death were described as neck injuries for Mr Matusiak, head and torso injuries for Mr Cahill, head injuries for Mr Saddington and Mr Rae, and head and chest injuries for Mr Worthy.
