Car reached 96 mph before crashing into tree and killing four young people

Skoda driver Joshua Parkes, 21, his passengers Lucy Tibbetts and Isabelle Floyd, both 16, were confirmed dead at the scene when in Bromley Lane, Kingswinford, on October 13, 2020. Front passenger Nathan Cartwright, 18, died from his injuries in hospital four days later.

A fourth passenger, also aged 16, suffered serious injuries, but survived the crash.

Giving evidence at the hearings on Thursday collision investigator Andrew Salt said calculations showed the car had been driven at high speed then slowing to 43mph before the collision which happened at about 8.50pm in a 30mph zone.

He told the hearing that Mr Parkes and the three girls in the rear were not wearing seatbelts and that the car was being driven with two under-inflated tyres.

He said CCTV and dashcam showed that at times the Skoda was driven on the wrong side of the road and had narrowly avoided colliding with an oncoming vehicle.

Mr Parkes lost control resulting in the car mounting the kerb before hitting a bus stop, then a lamppost before it struck the tree.

The inquest also heard that the yellow Skoda had caught the interest of a police patrol a few minutes before the deadly collision. A check by Pc Joshua Wilding and Laura Jones showed that the car was not insured and Mr Parkes did not have a full licence.

However, officers lost sight of the vehicle almost immediately.

Family tributes were also heard at the inquest.

The parents of Miss Floyd, known as Izzie, of Silverwood, Wombourne, said she had "the most infectious personality" and as a keen dancer had left behind "some amazing TikTok videos to cherish forever" before she was "so cruelly taken".

The family of Miss Tibbetts, of, Swan Street, Pensnett, Dudley, told the hearing she was one of five siblings and had overcome "relentless bullying" to take up an apprenticeship, had put aside her own struggles to help others before the crash.

Relatives of Mr Cartwright, a powder-coating worker, of of Eaton Lane, Kingswinsford, said he liked "to live life to the full" and was "kind-hearted.

No relatives for Mr Cartwright or for Mr Parkes, a construction shed builder, of Gooch Close, Stourbridge, were at the hearing held in Oldbury.

Black Country Area Coroner Joanne Lees recorded that Lucy, Isabelle and Nathan died as a result of a road traffic collision and that "on the balance of probability" that Mr Parkes died as a result of misadventure.

She said: "I am quite satisfied the actions of the Skoda driver were entirely of his own choice and one can only imagine how terrifying it must have been for occupants at the point the Skoda reached speeds of 96mph and travelling on the wrong side of the road.

"I am entirely satisfied the cause of the collision were the actions of Mr Parkes, as the driver of the Skoda and that the speed and manner in which he drove the Skoda were significant factors in the collision."

The police presence in the area led to an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation, however the report stated that it was "not in receipt of any evidence the police may have caused or contributed to the deaths".

In a statement following the inquest IOPC regional director Derrick Campbell said: “This was a tragic event that resulted in the deaths of four young people. Our thoughts remain with their families and all those affected.

“It is vital that incidents like this are thoroughly and independently investigated, which is what we have done. While it is likely the driver was aware of the police presence, the evidence does not suggest that the actions of police contributed to what happened that day.

“As well as providing independent scrutiny of what happened, our investigation has also helped to inform today’s inquest proceedings and, I hope, provide some answers to the families’ questions about the crash.”

"Whatever precipitated the actions of the driver of the Skoda, the Skoda was not being actively pursued or followed directly by the marked police car," the coroner added.