Soldier three times drink-drive limit when he killed ‘amazing father’ in Market Drayton crash
Adam Milton was ‘wholly responsible’ for the head-on crash at more than 100mph in which he and another driver, Wayne Neville, were killed.
A soldier in the British Army was more than three times the drink-drive limit when he crashed head-on at more than 100mph into another car, an inquest has heard.
Lance Corporal Adam Milton, 27, was “wholly responsible” for the high-speed collision in which he and the driver of a Nissan Almera, Wayne Neville, 42, were killed in the early hours of September 7 last year on the A53 in Market Drayton, an inquest at Shropshire Coroners Court heard on Thursday.
Mr Milton, a father-of-two who served with the Royal Irish Regiment based at Tern Hill Barracks in Market Drayton, but was from Ballyclare in Northern Ireland, had drunk about 10 cans of lager and some shots of sambuca with his friend, infantry soldier Mervin Young, on the evening of September 6.
A post-mortem examination found that Mr Milton’s blood alcohol level was 260mg per 100ml of blood. The legal drink-drive limit is 80mg per 100ml.
In a statement, Mr Young, who was a passenger in Mr Milton’s Volkswagen Passat at the time of the crash, said they had started drinking at about 7pm on September 6 and were in good spirits, but said he could not remember getting into his friend’s car, although he thought it must have been late.
He recalled telling Mr Milton to “stop” the car, but said he did not reply and was “just staring straight ahead” before the crash, of which Mr Young said he remembered nothing.
The inquest heard two other drivers who saw Mr Milton’s car before the collision said he was driving “erratically” and overtaking other vehicles.
Anthony Higginson, who was driving family members home after an evening at a comedy club, described hearing a “squealing of tyres” behind him, before Mr Milton’s vehicle overtook him and hit a grass verge, and then continued up the road.
He described coming round a bend and seeing the aftermath of the fatal crash, before getting out of his vehicle to help, while his sister Louise Taylor, who was a passenger, called 999 at 11.37pm.
Ms Taylor said the driver of the Volkswagen did not seem to have “control” of his vehicle, which “just flew and was out of sight in no time”, after it overtook her brother’s car.
A West Mercia Police forensic collision investigation report found no faults with either of the vehicles, and noted that Mr Neville had applied the brakes before the point of impact, and Mr Milton had not made any attempt to avoid a collision.
It found that excessive alcohol and speed were factors that contributed to Mr Milton’s vehicle crossing into the path of Mr Neville’s car, which was being driven in the opposite direction.
The speedometers on both vehicles were frozen after the crash, suggesting Mr Milton was driving between 102mph and 104mph on the 60mph road, while Mr Neville’s speed was recorded at between 30mph and 35mph.
Both drivers were declared dead in the early hours of September 7, the cause of their deaths being multiple traumatic injuries, and Mr Milton’s as a result of acute alcohol intoxication.
Senior coroner John Ellery recorded that both men died in a road traffic collision, saying Mr Milton had “lost control” of his vehicle.
Addressing Mr Neville’s wife, Kate Neville, the coroner said: “It could have been anyone, but tragically it was your husband who was on the road at the time.”
Paying tribute to Mr Neville, a factory operative and father-of-two who lived in Market Drayton, released through West Mercia Police, Mrs Neville said: “Our hearts are broken and we all miss him terribly.
“He was a loving and devoted husband, a thoughtful brother and son, and an amazing and caring father to Morgan and Ruby, his ‘Billy Wizz’ and ‘Shorty Pants’. He was a true family man.
“His love of motocross and being a part of the ‘loyals’ raving community kept him young at heart.
“He left a lasting impression on anyone he met and will live in everyone’s hearts forever.
“I love you more, the end, I win – your Mrs Nevdog.”
In a funeral notice posted online, Mr Milton was described as a “devoted” father and a “cherished” son.
