A 24-year-old student nurse died after her car crashed into a garden wall in Newport on New Year's Day, an inquest has found. Paige Curtis, from St Mellon's Road, Cardiff, was driving while under the influence of alcohol and drugs at the time of the collision.
Crash on Cefn Road
On the morning of January 1, Ms Curtis was travelling eastbound along Cefn Road in the Rogerstone area. Shortly before 9.30am, she failed to navigate the roundabout at the junction of Cefn Road and Great Oaks Park, losing control of her vehicle, Wales Online reports.
Her car struck the garden wall of a nearby property, and she sustained severe traumatic brain injuries. Ms Curtis was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, but despite the efforts of medical staff, her injuries proved unsurvivable and she died the following day.
Inquest findings
Senior Coroner for Gwent, Caroline Saunders, said: "The exact reason for Paige losing control of the car is unclear, however a forensic collision investigation has determined that Paige did not slow down to negotiate the roundabout and did not make any attempts to brake."
She added: "Furthermore, toxicological evidence confirms that she had an excess quantity of alcohol, benzoylecgonine and cocaine in her blood at the time. I find these factors have, on balance, contributed to the collision."
Ms Saunders recorded the primary cause of death as traumatic brain injury.
