Crash tragedy of builder who was struggling with mental health issues
A BUILDER was suffering from mental health issues when he deliberately crashed his car in Derbyshire, an inquest has heard.
Richard Faulkner was not wearing his seatbelt and was travelling at 60mph when his white BMW hit a tree near Ticknall at around 6am on May 17, 2019.
An inquest into his death at Derby Coroner’s Court heard there was no evidence the 42-year-old had tried to apply the brakes before the crash.
Following his death, his family released a heartfelt tribute to him, describing him as an “honest and loyal” man, who loved racing motorbikes.
The inquest heard Mr Faulkner had been diagnosed with a moderate to severe depressive disorder in the months leading up to his death, and his condition had become worse.
Mr Faulkner had been seen by the Leicestershire crisis mental health team in the days leading up to his death and had an appointment at hospital on the day of his death.
Dr Mark Sherman, a consultant psychiatrist, began seeing Mr Faulkner in October 2018 after he had been referred by his GP and found he was suffering from mental health issues.
Mr Faulkner was depressed, in an anxious state, lost enjoyment for his usual activities, had occasional panic attacks and his concentration was found to be quite poor, the hearing was told.
The builder saw the psychiatrist numerous times and it was found he struggled to tolerate some antidepressants but once put on a new version he was taking them.
He was asked at every appointment if he felt suicidal and most of the time Mr Faulkner denied he was, the hearing was told.
Around mid-April his mental health started to get worse and on May 15, Dr Sherman managed to encourage Mr Faulkner to attend an appointment. On that occasion the doctor described Mr Faulkner’s appearance as being dishevelled, he had lost weight and he was told that the state of his property was poor, with no food and there was blood in the bedroom that he could not explain.
Mr Faulkner’s ex-partner, who was supporting him, also told of an incident when he was in a car when he opened the door and undid his seatbelt while the vehicle was travelling at 60mph.
Dr Sherman said it was clear that Mr Faulkner, of Oaklands Drive, Moira, was very unwell and needed to be in hospital so he informed the Leicestershire crisis team, making it clear he needed to be admitted.
The inquest heard that Mr Faulkner was contacted that same day by the crisis team, when he was spoken to on the phone, and was assessed face-to-face the next day.
The nurse also expressed concerns about his mental health, even arranging to call him again that evening, which was not normal practice.
She discussed her concerns with another consultant psychiatrist and an appointment was made for him at hospital the following day, May 17.
However, the second consultant psychiatrist said she was not aware of the original concerns of Dr Sherman when she made the appointment for the following day.
On the morning he was due at hospital, emergency services were called to a crash involving a white BMW at 6.08am. A witness said they had seen a car matching the description at around 5.30am parked near the scene of the collision and a man was on his phone.
Collision investigator PC Nicolas Bettney said Mr Faulkner was driving on a straight road which then had a curve. Evidence suggested he was not wearing a seatbelt and had not tried to apply the brakes.
PC Bettney believed Mr Faulkner would have been driving at the higher end of the 60mph speed limit and there was no suggestion he had been distracted. The vehicle had no faults which could have led to the crash and no-one else appeared to have been involved. Assistant coroner Tanyka Rawden said: “It is likely a deliberate act on the part of Richard. It is likely he deliberately drove into the tree and took his own life. I know he was really struggling, anxious and he was feeling hopeless.”
She recorded a verdict that his death was suicide and that he died from multiple sporadic injuries.
Mrs Rawden also said she was concerned that the consultant psychiatrist from the crisis team made the decision for him to wait 24 hours for the hospital appointment and did not know what Dr Sherman had said.
She said: “Had Richard been assessed for hospital admission in the days before, it is possible he would have been admitted to hospital. If he had been admitted, his death could have been prevented.”
A representative from the Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust was present at the inquest and the hearing was told an investigation was carried out and found that it acted in a relevant manner and nothing could have been done differently.
Anyone in distress can call Samaritans for free at any time on 116 123.
I know he was really struggling, anxious and he was feeling hopeless.
Assistant coroner Tanyka Rawden