MAN HIT BY VAN AFTER CRASH
A20-YEAR-OLD man wearing just his underwear crashed his car on a dual carriageway before walking along the road and being run over and killed by an oncoming van, an inquest has heard.
James Beere was killed on the A40 west of Carmarthen on the evening of Saturday, September 26, 2020. An inquest into his death, held at Llanelli Town Hall on Friday, March 25, heard how he left his home in his black Seat Ibiza despite being more than twice over the drink-drive limit.
According to the coroner’s officer for Carmarthenshire, Malcolm Thompson, Mr Beere had climbed out of a bedroom window at the farm he was living and working at in the Pendine area and made his way to his car. He then reversed into a wall at the farm before making his way onto the A40, heading in an eastbound direction towards Carmarthen.
At about 9.40pm on the evening in question, between St Clears and Bancyfelin, he crashed his car into the central reservation. Mr Beere then walked on the westbound stretch of the carriageway where he was hit by a white Volkswagen Transporter van, an impact which carried him more than 15 metres along the road and resulted in a cervical spine fracture. He was killed instantly.
The inquest heard that Mr Beere, who was brought up in Narberth and had attended Ysgol Dyffryn Taf in the nearby town of Whitland, died as a result of a spinal injury which was described as “internal decapitation”.
A toxicology report revealed that Mr Beere had an alcohol reading of 179 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood at the time of his death – the legal limit is 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.
Speaking at the inquest, PC Matthew Frazer, forensic collision investigator at Dyfed-Powys Police, said “being over double the limit would seriously affect his ability to drive” and that although the collision occurred in darkness, the conditions were dry and overcast.
PC Frazer added that tests carried out revealed no defects on Mr Beere’s car which had crashed into the central reservation, or on the van which struck him as he walked on the carriageway. The driver of the van did not sustain any injuries and was breathalysed following the incident, a test which gave a negative reading.
“For reasons that are entirely unclear, it would appear that Mr Beere left the farm dressed in his underwear and then drove his vehicle onto the A40,” said Paul Bennett, acting senior coroner for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
“The evidence that I have heard supports that his driving must have been impaired by the level of alcohol in his system and that must have, at some point, led to a loss of control. The reasons for why he left the vehicle are unclear. It unfortunately brought Mr Beere into contact with the Transporter van. It must have been a terrifying experience for the driver to come into contact with Mr Beere.”
Extending his condolences to Mr Beere’s family, some of whom were present at the inquest, Mr Bennett said the death was an accident and recorded a verdict of death in a road traffic collision.