‘Easy going’ festival worker died in crash on motorway in Belgium
A POPULAR “easy going” festival worker was killed in an early morning motorway collision as he travelled through Europe with a friend, an inquest heard.
Daniel Griffiths, from Bridgend Road in Maesteg, was 32 when he died after the car he was a passenger in hit the central reservation of the E34 motorway in Belgium in October 2013.
Speaking after the inquest at Aberdare Coroner’s Court last Wednesday, his mother Daphne Harries described her son as an “easy going” individual who enjoyed an “alternative” lifestyle.
The inquest heard the collision occurred near junction A21 of the motorway around 4am on October 27, 2013 as he travelled towards Turnhout in Antwerp.
Mr Griffiths was in the passenger seat and his friend Kevin Johnston, 38, from Dundee, was driving the Mazda saloon.
Summing up, assistant coroner Graeme Hughes said: “It appears the vehicle struck the central reservation of the carriageway.
“As a consequence, Daniel suffered fatal injuries from which he died at the scene.”
The inquest opened in November 2013, but the coroner said it could not proceed straight away due to a “sparsity of evidence”, adding: “I was in the hands of the Belgian authorities.”
Evidence was read from a report written by the Belgian police, which had to be translated into English.
A police officer recorded at the time that it was “impossible” for a breath sample to be taken from Mr Johnston at the scene due to his injuries.
He observed that the driver appeared “sleepy with heavy eyelids”, adding there was an “undeniable” smell of alcohol on his breath.
Mr Johnston was taken to Saint Elisabeth Hospital, where he remained for a week.
In a statement given to police while he was in hospital, he said he was driving from Bath to Antwerp and then on to Eindhoven.
He told officers he and Mr Griffiths were having “a weekend away”, adding they were both wearing seatbelts, but said he did not remember the collision.
The police report noted the motorway had four lanes, with a concrete surface that was in good condition.
In a written statement, witness Lukasz Kwinta, from Poland, said he saw a car “swerve” into the central reservation, which was made up of concrete blocks.
He told officers the front panel of the car was torn off and several other vehicles were damaged by the debris.
Mr Kwinta told officers he was driving around 100km/h and that Mr Johnston was driving faster. The inquest heard the speed limit was 120 kilometres per hour – about 75mph.
He said the weather conditions were normal and there was hardly any other traffic on the road.
The inquest heard cannabis and ecstasy were found in Mr Johnston’s system.
Mr Johnston was not prosecuted by the Belgian authorities and did not attend the inquest.
The coroner said it would have been “desirable” for him to give evidence, but did not have the jurisdiction to issue a summons.
He added: “I would have preferred and certainly the family would have appreciated it if Mr Johnston had provided details and come to court.”
Mr Hughes recorded a medical cause of death of multiple extensive traumatic injuries and a narrative conclusion.
Mr Griffiths’ mother Daphne Harries, her husband Talfyn Harries, and Mr Griffiths’ friend Nathan Reynolds attended the hearing.
Mrs Harries said her son, who was known as Griff, had gone to Glastonbury as a teenager and “never looked back”, earning his living as a festival coordinator.
She described him as a keen Liverpool supporter and “proud Welshman”.
She added: “We asked everyone to wear red to the funeral.
“We approached the crematorium and saw hordes of people wearing red.”
Daniel’s ashes were put into specially-made fireworks and scattered in the Brecon Beacons.