Trendpills
An inquest has concluded that the tragic crash in which four teenagers from Shrewsbury drowned was “avoidable.” Hugo Morris, 18, Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, and Wilf Fitchett, 17, died in November 2023 when their car left the A4085 road in Garreg, Snowdonia, while on a camping trip.
The hearing revealed that the driver, Hugo Morris, who had passed his test just over six months prior, was driving too fast for the conditions on a sharp bend. Forensic collision investigator Ian Thompson told the court that while the road's speed limit was 60mph, the maximum theoretical speed for the bend was 38mph. The investigation found no catastrophic mechanical failures with the Ford Fiesta, but noted its rear tyres were significantly under-inflated. The car left the road, went down a steep embankment, and overturned in a water-filled drainage ditch where it remained undiscovered for two days.
Senior Coroner for North West Wales, Kate Robertson, recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision, stating the cause of death for all four teenagers was drowning. The inquest highlighted several contributing factors, including inadequate signage for the upcoming bend and a broken fence that failed to provide a barrier. These findings have led to in-depth examinations of the circumstances surrounding the fatal collision and what could have prevented it.
In response to the tragedy, the coroner announced she will issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Department for Transport. This report will raise serious concerns about newly qualified young drivers carrying passengers, a practice statistically linked to higher accident rates. The move comes amid a public campaign led by Harvey Owen's mother, Crystal Owen, prompting calls for graduated driving licences that would restrict young drivers from carrying passengers under 25 for a period after passing their test. The coroner will also issue a separate report to the local council regarding the urgent need for a safety barrier at the crash site, an issue also raised by Wilf Fitchett’s mother, Heather Sanderson, who stressed that without improvements, another tragedy is possible.
