Tragedy of four lives lost in 'lunacy' drive

A mother was three times over the alcohol limit, speeding, and driving on the wrong side of the road when her car hit another head on, killing her and three other people, an inquest heard.

Joanne Martin was behind the wheel of the Citroen Saxo which smashed into a Ford Fiesta on the brow of a canal bridge in West Bromwich.

At an inquest into the tragedy, Black Country coroner Robin Balmain described Ms Martin's driving as "sheer lunacy fuelled by alcohol" and said her actions had "taken the lives of three innocent people".

The Saxo left the ground and rotated in the air and the Fiesta erupted into a fireball after the crash, in Greets Green Road, at 12.50am on June 5.

Ms Martin, a 40-year-old divorcee also known as Joanne Ralley, died along with 21-year-old student Ashley Simpson, a rear seat passenger in the car.

Driving instructor Kelly Partridge, who had not been drinking and was behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta, also died in the tragedy along with her friend Tracy Chambers, who had been on a night out with friends celebrating passing her driving test.

Two other passengers in the Saxo – Ms Martin's 11-year-old daughter Kelsey and family friend Jordan Edwards – suffered serious injuries including cuts and broken bones as did the other two passengers in the Fiesta, Ms Chambers' twin sister Teresa and best friend Julie Griffin.

The inquest at Smethwick Council House yesterday heard evidence from Mr Edwards, who said they had been at a party at Ms Martin's house on the night.

The 20-year-old said he could not remember why the group got into the car but recalled Ms Martin's driving being "all over the show".

"She was out of control of the car," he said.

"I can remember hitting the bridge and seeing the lights in front of me.

"I remember landing and facing back the other way."

Other people to give evidence included Ms Griffin, who said the passengers in the Fiesta had been on a night out in Birmingham.

"Kelly was driving very steadily," she told the inquest.

"There was no music or anything like that. It was a steady, peaceful, quiet drive."

She described how she got out the car after the crash and could not walk properly because of the pain.

Reconstructions and CCTV footage revealed Ms Martin had been travelling at more than 80mph in the 30mph road in the lead-up to the crash and just below 70mph at the point of impact.

Post mortem examinations also revealed Ms Martin had 248mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.

The legal limit is 80mg.

It was likely Miss Chambers had not been wearing a seatbelt at the time, the inquest heard.

Coroner Mr Balmain described the crash as one of the worst he had seen in his career and released photographs of the mangled wreckage of the Citroen Saxo after the crash in a bid to deter others from drink driving.

He recorded a verdict that Ms Partridge, 34, of Hall Green Road in West Bromwich, Ms Chambers, 28, of Devereux Road in West Bromwich and Mr Simpson, of Grafton Road in West Bromwich, had been unlawfully killed.

sult of a crash.

Speaking after the inquest Ashley Simpson's father Wayne spoke of his devastation.

He said: "Our son had parked his car up for the night and trusted a woman of near twice his age to be responsible not only for him but for the safety of his friend and her own daughter.

"It's obvious to us that morals and intelligence were not in abundance that night to a driver who took the lives of three innocent people as well as her own.

"Our sympathies go out to the family and friends of the two other victims involved, we know how you are feeling, none of our lives will ever be the same again."

Ms Partridge's fiancé Chris Williams said: "I lost the best thing that ever happened to me."