Bald tyres led to fatal road accident
By Oliver Hall
Two bald rear tyres were the cause of a car crash which claimed the lives of two teenagers, an inquest has heard.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner David Roberts said: “I’m satisfied that the rear tyres were inadequate for the road conditions.
“There were bald tyres on the back of the car. If they had been of the same depth as the front tyres then this accident would not have occurred.”
He added: “Let this be a lesson to everyone, young and old, to get their tyres checked and make sure they are legally compliant.”
The inquest heard that Yasmin Hall, 15, and her 17-year-old boyfriend Mark Holliday were killed instantly in the accident which occurred near Carlisle in May 2009.
The Carlisle coroner said Mark’s car collided with a 44-tonne lorry and described the accident as a “a massive tragedy for the families and friends of the victims”.
Police accident investigators told the inquest that no mechanical fault was found with Mark’s red Toyota Corolla car. They pointed out that two defective back tyres had caused his vehicle to lose grip on the road.
The car was said to have lost traction after hitting a pool of water and rotated into the path of the truck, driven by 42-year-old Peter Crabtree.
PC Phillip Murray, a forensic accident investigator with Cumbria Police, believed Mark had not been speeding but may have been travelling too fast for the weather conditions and the state of his rear tyres.
Once the car began to spin, PC Murray said, there was “very little” he could have done to avoid the crash.
Number: Z8037079
Reg: NKF419
