Driver who died in crash into gardens was over the drink-drive limit, had drug in his system, was driving ‘far in excess of speed limit’ and had no seatbelt on, inquest is told

A BURTON warehouse worker died when he careered off the A38 in his car and “cleared a number of gardens”, an inquest has heard.

Alexandru-madalin Raducu was likely to have been driving “far in excess of the speed limit” when he lost control on a right-hand band on the northbound carriageway near Barton under Needwood.

The 31-year-old, who was not wearing a seat belt, sustained serious head injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had crashed through two garden fences and “tumbled further down” an embankment when paramedics arrived.

Mr Raducu, a Romanian national who lived in Burton and worked at a nearby Tesco distribution centre, was roughly twice the drink-drive limit at the time of the crash.

Cannabis was also detected in the South Broadway Street resident’s system, but it was unclear how much he had taken or when he had taken it.

His inquest yesterday heard he had finished at work at a Tesco distribution centre described to the inquest as in Burton but believed to be in Fradley Park, on October 28 last year and the crash happened just before 10pm that night. Collision investigation unit officer PC Richard Darby told the hearing Mr Raducu was driving his silver Volkswagen Golf with no insurance and only a provisional licence.

He said: “Mr Raducu was used to the controls of his car. He bought it in March 2020 and, during that time, had covered 13,582 miles up to October, then another 902 between the start of October and the collision [on October 28].

“There’s a gentle right-hand bend, but there’s a warning sign before it warning of its presence.

“There’s a barrier on the near side, but if vehicles get it wrong, the barrier can funnel cars towards the houses where Mr Raducu’s car went.

“We’ve got in touch with highways about this and they’re aware of the issue.

“He would’ve been familiar with the route and there were no other vehicles involved.”

Traffic cameras picked up a medium-sized hatchback near the scene travelling at 99mph shortly before the crash, but the footage was too poor to be sure it was Mr Raducu’s car, the hearing was told.

However, PC Darby said: “To negotiate that bend and clear a number of gardens, then sustain the damage to the car that he did, in my experience, he would’ve been driving far in excess of the speed limit.”

Giving a verdict of “road traffic collision”, coroner Andrew Haigh said: “Mr Raducu was used to the controls of the car, there was no suggestion of third-party involvement or any defects with the vehicle.

“The weather was fine at the time and I’m not aware of any other distractions inside or outside the car. He’s playing loud music, but that’s probably not the reason for the collision.

“There’s also the slightly confusing layout of the road, but he knew the road in any event, so it’s possible that was a factor, but not highly likely.

“He wasn’t wearing a seat belt, but, given the traumatic nature of the collision, it’s unlikely that made any difference.

“The two factors I do consider significant are the speed he was likely to be driving at and the level of alcohol in his blood, which was twice the drink-drive limit.”