This is Plymouth -- AN inquest into the deaths of seven people killed in a motorway crash in Somerset, including Plymouth man Kye Thomas, will take place next year. West Somerset coroner Michael Rose will resume the hearing in March following the acquittal this week of firework contractor Geoffrey Counsell. Mr Counsell, who had been operating a display at the nearby Taunton rugby club, was cleared at Bristol Crown Court of breaching health and safety laws on the night of the accident on the M5, near Taunton, in November 2011. He said he believed the decision to prosecute him was "motivated by a desire to find someone to blame for this terrible accident, simply for the sake of doing so". Mr Thomas was a driver for Samworth Brothers, who own Ginsters, and left a wife and four children. Mr Thomas had worked for the company for 15 years in a variety of roles, and had met his wife through working at Ginsters in Callington, just five miles from his home. Shortly after the accident, Tara Davis, transport manager for Samworth Brothers Distribution, said: "Kye had driven for us for 15 years and was a very well-known and respected member of our team. "He was a genuine and warm friend to everyone here. We also knew him as a dedicated husband and father. The crash killed grandparents Anthony and Pamela Adams, from Newport, South Wales; father and daughter Michael and Maggie Barton, from Windsor, Berkshire; battle re-enactor Malcolm Beacham, from Woolavington, Somerset; and lorry drivers Terry Brice, from South Gloucestershire. 51 people were injured, including some seriously, in the pile-up involving more than 30 cars. During Mr Counsell's trial, motorists described the fog as being so thick on the northbound carriageway they likened it to having a tin of paint thrown over their windscreens. The inquest, which will be heard before a jury, will begin on March 31 in Taunton and could take several weeks.
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This is Plymouth -- AN inquest into the deaths of seven people killed in a motorway crash in Somerset, including Plymouth man Kye Thomas, will take place next year. West Somerset coroner Michael Rose will resume the hearing in March following the acquittal this week of firework contractor Geoffrey Counsell. Mr Counsell, who had been operating a display at the nearby Taunton rugby club, was cleared at Bristol Crown Court of breaching health and safety laws on the night of the accident on the M5, near Taunton, in November 2011. He said he believed the decision to prosecute him was "motivated by a desire to find someone to blame for this terrible accident, simply for the sake of doing so". Mr Thomas was a driver for Samworth Brothers, who own Ginsters, and left a wife and four children. Mr Thomas had worked for the company for 15 years in a variety of roles, and had met his wife through working at Ginsters in Callington, just five miles from his home. Shortly after the accident, Tara Davis, transport manager for Samworth Brothers Distribution, said: "Kye had driven for us for 15 years and was a very well-known and respected member of our team. "He was a genuine and warm friend to everyone here. We also knew him as a dedicated husband and father. The crash killed grandparents Anthony and Pamela Adams, from Newport, South Wales; father and daughter Michael and Maggie Barton, from Windsor, Berkshire; battle re-enactor Malcolm Beacham, from Woolavington, Somerset; and lorry drivers Terry Brice, from South Gloucestershire. 51 people were injured, including some seriously, in the pile-up involving more than 30 cars. During Mr Counsell's trial, motorists described the fog as being so thick on the northbound carriageway they likened it to having a tin of paint thrown over their windscreens. The inquest, which will be heard before a jury, will begin on March 31 in Taunton and could take several weeks.
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