Tragedy as shop worker, 19, thrown from car despite wearing seatbelt
A shop worker died after being thrown from the window of a car, despite wearing a seatbelt, after it spun off a wet road and hit a hedge before overturning, an inquest heard.
Sam Cook, of Hawfinch Rise, Kidderminster, died in the crash along the A448 at Stone, near Kidderminster, on November 21 last year – just days before his 20th birthday.
Stourport Coroner's Court yesterday heard Mr Cook had been the front seat passenger in a Vauxhall Corsa being driven by his friend Ryan Wilson.
Deputy Worcestershire coroner Marguerite Elcock recorded a verdict of accidental death at the end of yesterday's hearing.
The inquest was told the pair had been driving to get some petrol and chatting about Mr Wilson's birthday just before the crash.
Mr Wilson told the court he had just driven around a left-hand corner when he had felt the car begin to slide.
"I tried to correct it using opposite steering but that pulled me into the kerb. I could not stop it after. I felt the car go up the kerb, go into the bush and felt it overturn. After that it is a blur."
Mr Wilson said he had negotiated three or four previous bends in the road and there had been no difficulties.
"The only reason I can think of why I lost control is that the road was really wet," he said.
Mrs Elcock said police investigations had revealed no evidence the car was being driven at excessive speed. There were also no mechanical defects.
She said both men had been wearing seatbelts – but this had not prevented Mr Cook from being thrown out of a rear hatch window suffering multiple injuries.
The inquest also heard from driver Paul Gripton, who was driving in a Mitsubishi car behind the Vauxhall Corsa.
He had tried to revive Mr Cook following the crash before paramedics arrived at the scene.
"I saw nothing untoward with the way the car was being driven," he said.
"I had no concern with the way the car was being driven.
The Corsa accelerated as it went into the national speed limit section of the road. I lost view of it as it went around a bend. The next I saw it was spinning," he added.
Mrs Elcock said: "It seems the driver simply lost control of the vehicle. It was an accident."
