Three teenagers died after the young driver lost control of his car on a bridge and crashed into a tree, an inquest has heard.
Dafydd Huw Craven-Jones, 18, only had his driving licence for less than six months when he was killed alongside two friends he had picked up from a house party, reports Wales Online.
At 11.47pm on May 25 last year, Dafydd, from Tanyfron in Wales, lost control of his Ford Ka on a humpback bridge in Penkridge, Staffordshire. Morgan Jones, 17, and Sophie Bates, 17, also died, while Brooke Varley, also 17 at the time, survived.
Morgan, from Coedpoeth, has been feeling unwell and the driver travelled to Penkridge to pick him up. The inquest heard that Dafydd, who had passed his test at the end of November, 2023, had earlier taken a video of himself saying he feared he had been caught speeding at 90mph on a 70mph road.
Neither Sophie, from Stafford, nor Brooke, from Newport in Shropshire, were wearing seatbelts on the 60mph road at the time of the collision. Morgan was sat on the lap belt in the front passenger seat and was only wearing the shoulder strap. Sophie looked to be sitting in the middle seat in the back of the car in videos taken by Sophie.
Dafydd did not know the roads in the area and when he steered his car “at speed” over a humpback bridge on the B5012 Cannock Road heading towards Penkridge, he lost control of the vehicle, the inquest held at Stafford Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, February 5, heard. The inquest also heard that the car hit a tree after mounting a grass verge and travelling onto the other side of the road.
Morgan was said to have suffered a severe head injury in the crash while Dafydd had multiple injuries. Both were pronounced dead at the scene just after midnight on May 26. Sophie was said to have suffered a traumatic brain injury and died at Queen Elizabeth Hospital on May 28, two days after the crash.
Brooke said she did not wear her seatbelt when she got in Dafydd’s car because it was dark and she could not see it, but she said she regretted not doing so. She told of a “rollercoaster feeling in my tummy” before the car swerved and she lost consciousness, in a statement to the inquest. She also said she had asked Dafydd to slow down as she felt “scared” at the speed he was driving.
The inquest heard the highest speed recorded on a tracking app on Brooke’s phone during the 15-minute journey was 85mph, but this might not be accurate.
Dafydd’s mother, Paula Craven-Jones, said in a statement to the inquest that she was not worried about her son’s driving standards, having been in the car with him a number of times since he passed his test. The car was insured with a full MOT, and Sergeant Richard Moors from Staffordshire Police said there were no issues with the vehicle that could be linked to the crash. He said there was nothing to suggest Dafydd had been using his phone at the time of the crash and he had no drink or drugs in his body.
There had been three serious collisions on the same stretch of road since 2017, with another fatality in January, 2024, the inquest heard. Staffordshire County Highways had said it would make changes to the road markings and the signs in the area following the two fatal crashes, but assistant coroner Kelly Dixon said nothing had been done so far which she said was concerning, and that she would issue a prevention of future deaths report to Staffordshire County Highways urging for changes to be made.
Ms Dixon recorded the deaths as being the result of a road traffic collision and added: “Dafydd suffered a loss of control, mounting the nearside verge before travelling to the opposite side of the road, colliding with an established tree. The driver’s side seat had been struck from behind by a rear seat passenger who wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. At least one rear passenger was thrown forward into the driver’s seat. That impact was deemed likely to have contributed to the extent of Dafydd’s injuries.
“The concern here is that I am aware that hazard reports have been submitted to Staffordshire County Highways in regards to this collision and another earlier fatal collision in January, 2024. Consideration is being given to enhance signage and the road markings but no action has yet been taken. I will be issuing a prevention of future deaths report to Staffordshire County Highways in respect of my concerns.”
Brooke said in a statement issued through Staffordshire Police after the tragedy that she was “so upset to have lost such amazing people from my life”. She said: “Sophie was the kindest person who lived her life to the fullest. She is my inspiration to get better and do everything she didn’t get a chance to do. She will forever be in my heart.
“Morgan was one of the funniest people I know. He was always respectful, kind and sweet. He always looked out for me. Daf had a kind soul and loved his friends.”
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