Inquest into death of dad driving on A690
PC Alan Bowman said that one witness had described seeing standing water and what appeared to be spilt fuel on the road, though he had not observed any evidence of any such fuel spillage at the scene.
A witness had seen Mr Sloan’s Ford Fiesta go out of control before leaving the carriageway: “I saw the car wobble slightly, as if it had hit ice.
“I expected it to correct itself but it began to spin in the road.”
Another witness had described being overtaken by Mr Sloan’s car on Houghton Cut: “I don’t know how fast it was going, but I would say it was about the 50mph limit.
“It certainly was not going very fast in my opinion.”
PC Bowman said that a fatal accident had occurred at exactly the same location in 2015: “There is a metal railing about four feet in height – this is in a poor state of repair and set between the path and embankment.
“It does not run the full length of the road – there are gaps in places.” PC Bowman added.
Recording a conclusion that Mr Sloan died in a road traffic collision, Senior Corner Derek Winter said that he would accept a police recommendation to produce a Report to Prevent Future
Deaths
“My intention is to write to the Highways Authority about what the police have brought to my attention with regard to the problems in that specific area and the installation of a safety barrier to prevent future fatalities,” he said.
“It certainly would prevent vehicles from going down the embankment and colliding with trees and other obstacles.
“It will also include a review about cleaning of drains and gutters to ensure the level of intervention by the highways authority there is appropriate for that particular location.”