Inquest hears crash that killed four Shrewsbury teenagers was avoidable
An inquest into the deaths of four teenage boys from Shrewsbury has revealed that a fatal car accident in North Wales last November could have been avoided.
Hugo Morris, 18, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Jevon Hirst, 16, tragically lost their lives when the Ford Fiesta, driven by Hugo, left the A4085 road near Garreg and came to rest upside down a flooded ditch.
The inquest which took place on Wednesday in Caernarfon heard that the boys had been on a camping trip in Snowdonia National Park when the accident occurred. Despite a two-day search, the overturned car was not discovered until a passing refuse recycling truck spotted it. All four teenagers were found deceased in the vehicle.
Post-mortem examinations revealed that the boys had drowned, there were no signs of internal or external injuries.
Crash investigators from North Wales Police determined that there were no catastrophic mechanical failures with the car. However, they did note that the rear tyres were underinflated, potentially contributing to the loss of control.
Delivering her conclusion, senior coroner, Kate Robertson, concluded that the crash was avoidable.
She highlighted that Hugo had likely driven the bend too quickly, exceeding the safe speed limit. Additionally, Robertson criticized the lack of adequate signage and suggested that fencing or barriers should be installed to prevent similar accidents in the future.
In a further step, Robertson said she would write to the UK government expressing concerns about newly qualified drivers being allowed to carry passengers. She argued that this could increase the risk of accidents, especially for young, inexperienced drivers.
