Staffordshire road death sparks safety review calls
A coroner has called for the Highways Authority to look at safety measures along a stretch of road after a driver was killed when his car hit a tree.
An inquest into Daniel Taylor's death recorded that he died as the result of a road traffic accident.
The 29-year-old had been driving a Vauxhall Astra hire car with passenger Lorna Mason, when it hit a tree in Colliery Road in Brereton, near Rugeley.
The inquest was told Mr Taylor, known to his family and friends as Danny, had been dining at an Indian restaurant in Chadsmoor and was driving home on September 6 last year. Giving evidence, Pc Roger Wetting from Staffordshire Police's collision investigation unit, said there was no evidence to suggest Mr Taylor had been speeding and there were no defects on the road. He said: "The road where the incident occured is subject to a national speed limit of 60mph and earlier in the evening it had been raining. The vehicle may have turned in a clockwise direction around the bend and Danny may have tried to correct it but it could be that there was a slight overcorrection and the vehicle has spun round and hit a tree.
"The road is unlit and the only light Danny would have had would have been from his car headlights."
South Staffordshire Coroner Andrew Haigh said he intended to write to the highways authority over safety measures on the road, including provision of signs. Investigating officer Pc David Burgham said Mr Taylor had only been driving the car for 17 days but had held his licence for seven years.
The inquest was also told that Mr Taylor had seven points on his licence relating to speeding offences from 2012. He said: "Miss Mason had amnesia from the accident and a note from her doctor says she is unlikely to remember anything because she sustained serious head injuries." He added there was no evidence Mr Taylor was using a mobile phone and there was nothing to suggest he was distracted by anything inside or outside the car.
Five people, including two off-duty nurses, stopped to help Mr Taylor of McKie Way, Brereton, and tried to resuscitate him.
South Staffordshire coroner Andrew Haigh said the family could take comfort in knowing they tried to save Mr Taylor's life but due to the nature of his injuries he could not be revived. He said the cause of death was head and neck injuries. "Danny was familiar with the controls of the car and in history it has been commented on that he was a fast driver," he added. "The collision is likely to be a combination of the darkness, the speed of the vehicle and the bend. This has led to a momentary loss of control of the vehicle and my formal conclusion is that Danny died as the result of a road traffic accident."
