Driver in fatal high speed crash was over drink limit
The driver of a car involved in a fatal crash near Maidstone was over the drink driving limit, an inquest heard.
Johnny Cash, 44, his son Johnboy Cash, 19, Miles Cash, 25, and Jacko Cosgrove, 18, died on October 10 after the Toyota Hilux they were travelling in left Lenham Road in Headcorn. Teenager Jerry Cash, 15, was also in the vehicle and was left in a coma for months with serious injuries, before being discharged in January.
The men had been on their way to watch The Gypsy King Tyson Fury’s trilogy fight with American Deontay Wilder.
The court heard Johnny Cash was almost one and a half times the legal drink drive limit, registering at 117mg per 100ml of blood. The legal limit is 80mg. Forensic toxicologist Nicola Ingram said he would be able to walk around fine, but was not legally allowed to drive. She said results showed Johnny Cash was likely drinking in the last couple of hours before the accident.
Johnboy registered 82mg p/100ml for blood sample and 122mg p/100ml for urine. Miles Cash had 167mg p/100ml of blood and 177mg p/100ml in urine. He also had 0.19mg of benzoylecgonine, which is a by-product of cocaine.
Jacko Cosgrove had 149mg p/100ml of blood and 208mg p/100ml of urine. He also had traces of benzoylecgonine in his system.
Pathologist Dr Rouse explained driver Johnny Cash suffered serious multiple injuries to his back, leg, chest, rib and arm injuries.
His cause of death, similar to his son Johnboy, was given as multiple injuries.
The pathologist added there was “no sign to suggest” there were any injuries from wearing a seatbelt. Although he suggested evidence from detectives would shed more light on the seatbelt question.
Johnboy, 19, suffered facial, leg and head injuries, including a fractured skull.
Miles Cash, 25, also suffered a fractured skull, as well as facial, arm and leg injuries. His cause of death was multiple injuries. Jacko Cosgrove, 18, also suffered a fractured skull and died of multiple injuries including facial and spinal injuries. On the arrival of police, two men were found outside the vehicle - one was thought to be Miles.
The Toyota was the last of three vehicles heading from a nearby golf club to a kebab shop to get some food before the Tyson Fury fight.
As it headed down Lenham Road it went into a drainage ditch before crashing into an oak tree, rotating 180 degrees into the opposite side of the road.
The court heard how a witness, Claire Edwards, was driving along the road when she saw the crash. After pulling over she rang 999. After that she heard screaming and a group of people gathered around the vehicle. Police forensic investigator Simon Masterson said there was evidence one of the seatbelts in the rear of the vehicle was used, but that it was “more likely than not” the other seatbelts were not.
He said the car was travelling at 76mph before it hit the first tree, and the accelerator had 100% pressure on it up until 0.5 seconds before the collision. He added the driver of the vehicle “lost control” while going at 16mph above the speed limit which was 60mph. PC Masterson said the theoretical maximum speed for the road was 103mph. He said Johnny Cash’s alcohol level “likely impaired his co-ordination”.
There was no evidence of another vehicle or any other sort of hazard affecting the driver’s “gradual swerve” into the ditch or first tree.
It hit a second tree seconds after the first collision.
Despite saying weather conditions wouldn’t have had an effect, family questioned the officer about this, claiming when they arrived on the scene it was “so foggy you could barely see in front of you”.
Patrick Cash, son of Johnny and brother of Johnboy, told the court he pulled Jacko Cosgrove
from the wreckage of the vehicle.
He added how he heard the screaming of distraught family members who had flocked to the scene to try and help.
Coroner Patricia Harding recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision for all four men.