A499 crash which killed 'wonderful' couple result of both drivers 'misjudging the situation'

Two drivers failed to anticipate the actions of each other with tragic consequences, a coroner said.

Charles Harris and Janet Whitehead died when their Nissan Micra was involved in a collision with a Vauxhall Vectra driven by Dylan Wyn Thomas on the A499 at Glynllifon near Caernarfon on April 1 last year.

Witnesses said the weather was “treacherous” with heavy rain and strong winds.

The inquest at Caernarfon heard Mr Harris, 85, from Erbistock near Wrexham and his partner Mrs Whitehead, 64, died instantly of multiple injuries when their car was struck by the other vehicle as it emerged from an unclassified road onto the A499.

It flipped up into the air and landed on its roof, police officers said.

Mr Thomas, 37, of Stryd y Ffynnon, Nefyn , suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Ysbyty Gwynedd for treatment.

Prosecution

The coroner heard Mr Thomas had already been prosecuted for being eight times the drug driving limit . Tests on a blood sample taken from him in hospital three hours after the incident showed he had driven with benzoylecgonine (BZE) – a controlled drug and byproduct of cocaine – in his system.

He admitted the charge and was banned from driving and ordered to observe a curfew.

Mr Thomas told police officers he was driving his son to a fast food restaurant in Caernarfon and denied driving at speed. He had insisted to the officers he was taking additional care because of the bad weather.

Witnesses had told the inquest they had seen Mr Thomas’ car being driven “at speed”. He had overtaken one car so quickly it had been “like passing a parked car”.

But police accident investigator Gordon Saynor said the speed of the Vectra could not be estimated on the approach to the accident scene.

No mechanical faults that could have contributed to the accident were found Forensic Vehicle Examiner Gary Roberts said.

Concluding Mr Harris and Mrs Whitehead died as the result of a road traffic collision the coroner said Mr Harris may not have seen the other vehicle until he started to emerge from the unclassified road onto the A499.

“He may have misjudged the speed of the approaching car as he had nothing to compare it with.

“Mr Thomas may have seen the lights of the Nissan and anticipated the driver would not have pulled out into his path. When he found he had he tried to swerve around him only to find the Nissan accelerating into his path.

“Unfortunately this was a case of two drivers misjudging the situation and the collision ended in the deaths of two people,” he said.

After the inquest a statement issued by Mr Harris’ family paid tribute to him and Mrs Whitehead.

‘We lost two wonderful people’

It said: “On April 1, 2016 we lost two wonderful people, Charles and Jan, our Dad and his lovely lady.

“This past year has been very difficult for both families and friends of Dad and Jan, they are much missed by all who knew them.

“Their lives however are not defined by the moment they passed but rather by the great contribution they both made to the world they loved.

“Jan as an educator who influenced and improved the lives of thousands of children and Dad as an entertainer, businessman, a man of enormous energy, optimism and kindness.”

Although summonsed to appear at the hearing as a witness Mr Thomas failed to turn up.

The coroner said he will now be required to explain why he did not attend and if cannot will be served with a penalty.