![Hamelin Way death crash inquest adjourned until December]()
This is South Devon -- THE inquest into the Hamelin Way death crash has been adjourned until December due to a legal wrangle.
The jury was sent home first thing on Friday morning and the inquest will resume at the Riviera International Conference Centre in Torquay on Monday, December 2.
Torbay and South Devon coroner Ian Arrow apologised for being unable to proceed and told the jury: "Those matters I am to address you on are the subject of discussion elsewhere.
"I have a temporary court here so I'm having to look for another date for you to come back for me to sum up to you those matters I'm asking you to consider.
"There's legal argument going on elsewhere. It makes it all the more important your views are not contaminated in any way. This matter is of intense public interest and in the media at home and abroad."
He reminded the jury that they must decide the inquest solely on the evidence seen and heard in court and not to discuss it with anyone else.
The jury has already heard that taxi driver Marek Wojciechowski drove into the car carrying the Twomey family, who were on holiday from Ireland, on Friday, July 6, last year after leaving a four-page suicide note.
The tragedy claimed the lives of four people: sixteen-month-old Oisin Twomey, Elber Twomey's unborn daughter, Elber's husband Con Twomey, 39, who died 10 months after the crash after suffering serious injuries, and the 26-year-old Polish taxi driver.
The inquest was told Mr Wojciechowski had left a four-page suicide note that morning for his wife Agnieszka Wojciechowska.
A hysterical Mrs Wojciechowska then rang friends who in turn alerted police. A high risk missing person report was circulated to all officers with details of the black Vauxhall Vectra taxi.
Shortly afterwards, the jury was told, PC Ben Bickford was driving up Hamelin Way and saw a dark car on the opposite dual carriageway heading downhill.
On a hunch, he told the court, PC Bickford turned on his blue lights and siren and headed off at speed to catch up with the car to see if it was the missing person.
When he got close enough to establish that his hunch was right, PC Bickford flashed his headlights four times and made hand signals indicating that he wanted Mr Wojciechowski to pull over.
Seconds later, the inquest heard, the Vectra deliberately slammed across the road and into the Twomey family's Volkwagen Golf and Mr Twomey had nowhere to go to avoid the impact.
Mrs Twomey was 24-weeks pregnant at the time. Her husband survived in hospital until May this year, when he died as a result of his injuries. An inquest into his death will be heard at a later date in Ireland.
The inquest heard that the black taxi had driven 12 circuits around the Hamelin Way loop before the police vehicle with blue lights flashing and sirens sounding attempted to get him to pull over.
On Tuesday most of the questioning was over whether police should have adopted a more softly-softly approach, knowing that the 26-year-old taxi driver had left a four-page note saying he intended to take his own life.
At the inquest Mrs Twomey, the only survivor of the Irish family who were on holiday from Meelin in Cork, asked questions through her barrister Chris Hough about the lack of a specific police procedure to deal with 'suicidal drivers'.
The jury inquest was told that CCTV footage later revealed that the black Vauxhall Vectra taxi had been driving around and around Hamelin Way in a two mile circuit between Kerswell Gardens and Gallows Gate.
On the first day of the inquest the jurors were told that the note told Mrs Agnieszka Wojciechowska that her husband didn't blame her, loved his children and was sorry that things hadn't worked out between them.
Friends told how she was hysterical and unable to talk when she found the four-page note after asking him for a separation.
Speaking through a Polish interpreter a week after the tragedy she said: "Marek wasn't coping well. He didn't kill himself. I killed him. I took hope away from him. I took everything away from him."
The couple had both previously worked at the Toorak Hotel in Torquay. Marek worked as a kitchen porter and later as a chef and his wife Aga worked as a housekeeper.
Three weeks before he died he had started a new job working six nights a week for Torbay Taxis.
The Twomey family were on the last day of their South Devon holiday when the crash happened last year on Friday, July 6, at 2.47pm.
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This is Staffordshire -- The A50 Kidsgrove Road in Goldenhill has been closed after a car crash at 2pm today. Witnesses describe seeing the incident on Kidsgrove Road when the vehicle crashed into the lamppost and telegraph pole. Ian Walker, 30, an IT consultant, lives opposite where the crash happened. He said: "I was sitting in my living room on the phone when I heard this huge crash. I went outside and the telegraph pole was lying in the road with the wires everywhere. "The electric exchange box was damaged and the lamp post was bent in half. The telegraph pole by the entrance of Mobberley Road. A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: "We were called to reports of a vehicle collision with a lampost and a telegraph pole. "The road and the pavement has been closed while the incident is being dealt with and engineers attend the scene. Officers are on the scene directing traffic." The driver, a 20-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent, has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.
Reported by This is 9 hours ago.
This is Leicestershire -- A man airlifted to hospital after a road crash in Rutland on Monday has died despite the efforts of the emergency services. The man, in his 60s, was seriously injured in the collision between his car and a lorry on the B668 Greetham to Cottesmore road shortly before 7am. Because of the foggy conditions on the ground two air ambulances flew to the scene to see which one had the best chance of urgently flying the man to a major trauma centre. Leicestershire Police announced today that the car driver, who was airlifted to the regional trauma centre of the Queen's Medical centre in Nottingham, had subsequently died. As firefighters fought to free the man from the wreckage of his car which had gone into a ditch, Dr Leon Roberts, a volunteer medic with the East Midlands Immediate Care Scheme (EMICS) fought to save his life. Dr Roberts, a Lieutenant Colonel with the Royal Army Medical Corps, who is senior medical officer at the nearby Kendrew Barracks, attended the scene at the request of East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS). Dr Roberts said; "It was a very serious road accident in a very rural isolated location and there were multiple 999 calls about it. "The collision happened at 6.47am and I was on the scene at 7.09am. Firefighters from Oakham were already on the scene along with an EMAS crew from Stamford. "It was obvious the gentleman was trapped and had very serious injuries. He required immediate critical care procedures which I applied.The firefighters worked as quickly as possible to get him out." He added: "Part of my role is to liaise with the air ambulance service and because of the foggy conditions on the ground I called for the Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire and the Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Rutland (DLRAA)air ambulances to see which one could get through the fog to give him the best chance. "Both aircraft arrived and he was eventually taken to the Queen's Medical Centre major trauma centre by the DLRAA." A DLRAA spokesman said: The driver was unresponsive when the EMICS doctor arrived and went into cardiac arrest after being freed from the wreckage. "The EMICS doctor treated the patient and was immediately able to retrieve a pulse." Officers from East Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit are investigating the incident. which involved the man's white Audi A4 and a white ERF LGV at around 6.45am. The driver of the lorry was not injured in the crash. Detective Constable Nick Bryan, the investigating officer, said: "We are appealing for anyone who witnessed the collision or either of the vehicles being driven prior to the incident to contact us." Anyone with any information is asked to contact Det Con Bryan on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.
Reported by This is 3 days ago.
This is Exeter -- The family of a 19-year-old soldier from Exeter of "huge promise" who died in a car crash on Armstice Day have released a photo of him. Sapper Kieron Blight, of 26 Engineer Regiment, was a passenger in a Mazda MX5 convertible which hit a curb and overturned before hitting a tree at 6.30pm on Monday, November 11. His commanding officer at the Perham Down base near Tidworth, Lieutenant Colonel John Ridge, said: "If you were to sit down and list the qualities required of the perfect sapper, they would sum up what we had in Sapper Kieron Blight. He was keen, professional, courteous and bright. "Above all, he loved his armoured engineer trade. During our recent deployment to Canada, whenever he got the chance, he would race off to clamber all over our tanks and chat to his fellow crewmen: anything to learn more about armour and how to get the best from it. "Canada was his first big exercise, but it was already clear that he had huge promise, so much so that he had recently been selected to attend training to be a Junior Non Commissioned Officer. "Despite his young age and boyish looks, his maturity and professionalism made him naturally respected among his peers. I have no doubt that he would have been a Lance Corporal before most of them. "Never mind how hard things got, he remained good-humoured. A brew, some gentle banter from his mates about how many bunches of flowers he had sent his girlfriend Emily, and chat about his home in Devon – these are the times we will remember. "We are all shocked by his death, but know how little our loss compares to that of his parents Stephen and Mandy, his sister Hayley, and his beloved girlfriend Emily. Our thoughts are with them all." Major Claire James, commanding officer of 33 Armoured Engineer Squadron said: "Sapper Kieron Blight was a young, cheery soldier who I always found smiling. An armoured engineer and very capable armoured vehicle operator he had recently been selected to attend a cadre for potential junior non commissioned officers. "His performance over the summer, on a challenging overseas exercise to Canada had earned him a strong recommendation for promotion which I was happy to endorse. "Sapper Blight approached his military life with an extremely positive attitude, passionate about armoured engineering he was a fast learner and loved anything to do with tanks." Station Road in Tidworth was closed for five hours after the crash. The driver of the car, another soldier from Peterborough, remains in Salisbury District Hospital with serious head injuries.
Reported by This is 3 days ago.
This is Bristol -- THE man who organised a firework display near the M5 on the night of a crash which claimed seven lives may have drawn up a risk assessment after the crash, a court heard. Patchway lorry driver Terry Brice, 55, was among those killed in the crash, near Taunton in November 2011, which it has been claimed was caused by poor visibility from fog mixed with smoke from the display. Geoffrey Counsell was in charge of the display at a rugby club near the motorway which saw around 1,500 rockets fired in 15 minutes. Counsell, of Ashill, Somerset, denies a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to ensure the safety of others. The prosecution said today that the 51-year-old gave rugby club marketing manager Colin Bentley a risk assessment form, which did not contain any drawings of the site. But when police went to Counsell's home two days after the crash he handed them a risk assessment form in which he had marked the motorway as being 500 metres from the firing zone, when in fact it was around 190 metres away. A second form found on his armchair marked the firing zone as around 200m away but did not include the motorway or nearby railway line on the diagram. Peter Blair, prosecuting, said: "If that's right members of the jury, one asks this question as to the fall out zone at 200metres, does that display or suggest that actually he has not got much idea of how far the motorway was away? "We understand that he didn't keep a copy of the risk assessment form he gave to Mr Bentley. You will have to consider if these are prepared after the event." Bristol Crown Court has heard that weather conditions sent an "impenetrable smog" from the 40kgs of pyrotechnics drifting onto the motorway. Survivors said the sudden loss of visibility was like having a tin of paint poured over their windscreens. Mr Blair said Counsell did not stop the display when he should have done, adding: "He didn't have a contingency in place for dealing with something going wrong." The court also heard that Counsell's insurance company voiced concerns about the "elevated risk" from working alone on large displays. Defending, Adrian Darbishire QC, said there were no laws regarding the proximity of fireworks to a road - and there was nothing in Health and Safety Executive guidelines which said that operators need to take into account firework smoke when planning an event.
Reported by This is 3 days ago.
This is South Devon -- A crash near Marldon on Wednesday morning blocked the main Torbay ring road at peak time. The crash, between Marldon and Kings Ash, caused police to close the road in both directions. Long queues built up through the surrounding estates. The incident began at 7.26pm when two vehicles collided on the road between Churscombe Cross and Smallcombe Road. Injuries were not thought to be serious in the crash which involved a Torquay-registered Peugeot 206 and a Volvo skip loader registered to Clyst St Mary. Police said a lorry then clipped one of the vehicles in a second incident, leaving a large amount of debris in the road. An ambulance was called to the scene. The road was being cleared again by 8.45am.
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This is Staffordshire -- A man has had to be cut free from his car after a serious crash with a lorry. The A50 is shut eastbound between the A522 and the B5030 near Uttoxeter after the collision between a Mitsubishi Colt and a HGV lorry. The crash happened near the A522 sliproad just before 9am this morning. A Staffordshire Police Spokesperson said: "The driver of the Mitsubishi Colt has been taken to University Hospital North Staffordshire with head injuries that are not believed to be life threatening. One carriageway is still closed while the recovery is underway." There is slow traffic in both directions between Uttoxeter and the Little Chef roundabout.
Reported by This is 2 days ago.
This is Nottingham -- A DOUBLE-DECKER bus had its roof ripped off after driving under a low bridge. The driver of the yellow bus crashed into the bridge in Debdale Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse, yesterday at 12.25pm. The road was closed so the vehicle could be recovered and no one was injured in the incident. The railway bridge was not badly damaged and the train service only suffered minor delays. A Network Rail spokesman said: "A double-decker bus struck a railway bridge on Debdale Lane, Mansfield Woodhouse at 12.29 on Tuesday; minor delays were caused to two trains passing at caution just after the strike. "Thankfully no serious structural damage was caused to the bridge and services resumed at 12.46." Pictures of the crash have been shared on social media sites since the incident happened. On Facebook Sonya Graham said: "What a silly driver, should have gone to Specsavers." Ady Belshaw added: "Took me 35 minutes to get to Mansfield because Sherwood Street was jammed with traffic because of this, there are signs telling you how low the bridge is." The owners of the bus Mcewen Travel Ltd were unavailable for comment. Send us your pictures of the crash by emailing newsdesk@nottinghampost.com.
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This is Leicestershire -- A 25-year-old man has been airlifted to hospital following a crash in Donisthorpe. The collision happened when the man's van was involved in a crash with another van at about 9am today. Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance arrived at the scene at about 9.15am. Medics found the patient sat by the side of the van, having managed to get out of his vehicle. He had sustained a significant fracture to his left leg. The man was flown to the Royal Derby Hospital for further treatment. His condition was described as "stable" en route.
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This is Kent --
This is South Devon -- THE inquest into the Hamelin Way death crash has been adjourned until December due to a legal wrangle.
This is Leicestershire -- Motorists travelling on a busy main road in Leicester have been delayed after an accident. Police were called to a crash on Welford Road, just after 2.30pm today. The incident, which involved a cherry-picker and a car, happened just outside the Sandicliffe car showroom. Ambulance crews also attended. A police spokesperson said that the incident is not believed to be serious.
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This is Lincolnshire -- A crash on Meadow Lane between North Hykeham and Brant Road is causing traffic delays in Lincoln. Lincolnshire Police are on the scene and dealing with the incident.
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This is Bath -- A man who was injured in a crash in Chew Magna this morning has died in hospital. Lee Dumphy, from Hartcliffe in Bristol, was the rear seat passenger in a Ford Ka, which crashed in Denny Lane at around 6.15am. Fire crews had to remove the roof of the car to free him from the vehicle and he was taken to Frenchay Hospital. Avon and Somerset Police have said that he died at lunchtime. There were two other occupants in the car, but they received only minor injuries. An investigation into the circumstances of the collision has begun and anyone who saw the crash or the vehicle being driven in the area beforehand should contact the Collision Investigation Unit on 101.
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