Tragic father drove over drink limit

A father was almost twice the drink-drive limit when he lost control of his car and died after smashing into bollards and a tree in Wolverhampton, an inquest heard.

Peter McShane was likely to have been speeding when the Rover MG swerved off the bend in Birmingham Road and crashed, leaving him with multiple injuries.

The car flipped over on impact and witness Desmond Ruddock, who was in his home nearby, told Walsall Coroner's Court the vehicle "somersaulted". Mr McShane, aged 27, a stonemason who previously served in the Armed Forces, was found to have 146mg of alcohol in his blood. The legal limit is 80mg. The accident near to Curzon Street happened at around 11.15pm on February 19 this year.

Pc Paul Hopley, a forensic collision investigator with West Midlands Police, told the inquest the vehicle was "extensively" damaged.

He said five metal posts had been damaged and the car had started to turn sideways due to the crash. He added the road surface was fine but investigators were unable to accurately calculate the speed the car was travelling at. But it was believed to be above the limit and in excess of 40mph.

No other people were involved in the crash and Black Country coroner Robin Balmain recorded a verdict of death due to a road traffic collision.

Mr McShane, of Waterhead Drive, Bushbury, has a five-year-old son.

Mr Balmain said: "This is a tragedy for the family, this is a young man who was involved in a collision.

"It appears likely he was travelling too fast for the circumstances. I bear in mind he had been drinking, he was over the limit for driving purposes and may have given him a false sense of confidence."

In a statement from his family after the hearing they said he was a devoted father who was missed by all his relatives and friends.

His parents Peter and Jackie said life would never be the same without him.

The hearing was told an assessment of the vehicle found one of the tyres was low but this was likely to have been as a result of the accident.

No other faults were found with the car after a thorough examination.

Around 45 minutes before the crash police were informed a laser pen was being shone by youths in the area. But witnesses said there was no sign of anyone with a pen at the time of the collision.