Missing farmer found dead after crash took his own life ‘in a panic’
AYOUNG farmer who went missing after a serious crash on the A30 last year took his own life “in a panic”, an inquest has been told.
Jack Henry William Thomas, 21, disappeared from the scene of an early-morning crash in June and was found dead the following day.
Mr Thomas, from Sennen, had last been seen in the area of the Chiverton Cross roundabout on the A30 at around 3am on Sunday, June 11, and was reported missing.
Police said they believed he had been travelling in a vehicle which was involved in a serious collision and were concerned he might have sustained a serious injury and could require medical treatment.
His body was found the following day not far from the scene of the accident, following extensive searches and appeals by his family, friends and other young farmers from across the county.
An inquest held at Truro Coroner’s Court on Monday, March 25, heard Mr Thomas had been at the Royal Cornwall Show at Wadebridge throughout the week and, after drinking with friends, was returning home in the early hours of Sunday.
The other vehicle involved in the collision, at around 3.30am, was driven by Jordan Williams, who was on his way to Birmingham with his girlfriend.
In a statement, he described seeing lights coming towards them; he swerved to avoid a crash but the other car did the same, and they collided head-on.
After ensuring his girlfriend was OK, Mr Williams said, he got out of the car and went to check on the other driver.
“As I arrived at the other car a male opened the driver’s door and I asked if he was all right,” he said.
“I didn’t get a proper response: just a grunt and a mumble.”
The other driver had no visible injuries so he went back to help his girlfriend out of the car.
By the time he’d done so, Mr Thomas had left the scene.
Deemed to be a high-risk missing person by police, he was found dead by officers in a field nearby more than 24 hours later.
His mother told the inquest her son went to primary school in St Buryan, then to Cape Cornwall School and then studied for A-levels at Penwith College in Penzance before securing a place to study agriculture at Harper Adams University in Shropshire.
Having received very good grades throughout his education, he planned to return to Cornwall and run the family farm with his father.
At the time of his death he was working in Ireland, but had come home on a visit to spend time with his family and catch up with many of his farming friends.
He was due to return to work on the Sunday evening, and had booked a flight from Newquay.
Mrs Thomas said she thought he had probably wanted to drive home to Sennen in the early hours of Sunday so he could rest before his flight.
While he had no known mental health problems, she said, she believed he took his life “while he was in a panic” after the crash: “He always hated getting into trouble.
“Jack will be greatly missed by the farming community as well as his friends and family,” she said. “We’ve spoken to staff at Harper Adams University and his colleagues at McCain’s and all have said what a friendly young man he was.”
A thousand people had attended a celebration of his life which, she said, “speaks to the impact that he had on people”.
Detective Constable Katherine Rhodes told the hearing that the collision occurred between the old
Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross, with Mr Williams’ car having already passed Chiverton.
She said there were significant roadworks at the time due to the A30 upgrade but there were still two lanes on either side of the road.
A postmortem examination found Mr Thomas had a blood alcohol level of 93mgs per 100ml, marginally over the drink-drive limit of 80mgs per 100ml.
Andrew Cox, senior coroner for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, explained that alcohol was also produced in the body after death, so it was possible the level had been lower at the time of the collision.
Recording a conclusion that death was due to suicide, he said: “In her evidence, Mrs Thomas said she believes her son has panicked after this and I think that’s right”.
Mr Cox said he did not believe the way in which Mr Thomas met his death could have been accidental.