Driver error to blame for horror crash that left five teenagers dead

FIVE teenagers died in a horrific crash due to a driving mistake rather than recklessness or racing, a coroner has ruled.

Doncaster coroner Nicola Mundy concluded that Blake Cairns, 16, Jordanna Goodwin, 16, Megan Storey, 16, Arpad Kore, 18, and Bartosz Bortniczak, 18, died as a result of an accident after the Toyota Corolla they were travelling in collided with another vehicle last November in thick fog.

The Toyota, driven by Mr Bortniczak, was approaching Conisbrough on the A630 when it was in collision with a Seat Leon coming the other way.

Ms Mundy said she agreed with collision investigators that the most likely cause of the accident was that Mr Bortniczak took his foot off the accelerator as he negotiated a right-hand bend, causing a classic case of “lift-off over-steer”.

The car, which had been travelling at about 73mph in a 60mph limit, skidded and was side-on when it hit the Seat.

Tests showed the Toyota would have been able to take the bend safely at that speed if the driver had kept his foot on the accelerator.

Recording her conclusion, Ms Munday said: “It was a most tragic of accidents – five young people who had their lives ahead of them losing their lives in these circumstances. I do not think there were

any signs of recklessness. It was mistake and high price was paid for it.”

The crash happened after the five friends met up with two others – Ben York and Jonathan Earp – who were in a Vauxhall Corsa.

Doncaster Coroner’s Court heard that there had been an investigation into whether the cars had been racing after one witness, Michael Staton, said he had seen two unidentified vehicles at traffic lights revving their engines and then “set off like a dragster start”.

Mr York, the driver of the Corsa, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but never prosecuted.

But the coroner said yesterday: “I do not think there’s evidence of them racing or being reckless on the road.”

Ms Munday recorded a verdict of accidental death and said she would be writing to Doncaster Council to ask it to consider moving the transition from 60mph to 40mph on the A630 further away from Conisbrough.

The court heard how there had been other fatal accidents on the same stretch of road including another crash in January 2011 when three teenagers aged 14, 15, and 16 died after the car they were in hit a tree just 100 metres away from the site of last November’s crash.

Mr Earp, who was the passenger in the Corsa, told the inquest how he tried to save his Mr Kore, who was the only one conscious when he got to the mangled Toyota.

“He was begging me to get him out of the car,” he told the court. “He was screaming out in pain and begging me not to leave him.”

Mr Earp said he could not open any of the doors of the badly damaged car and described how he held his friend’s hand until paramedics arrived.

Blake, Jordanna, Arpad and Megan were sixth-formers at Danum Academy in Doncaster and warehouse worker Bartosz was a former pupil.

Collision investigator PC Adrian Burgoyne praised the work of firefighters and paramedics at the scene. He said: “In 20 years as a police officer – 15 years in the collision investigation department – I have never seen a more concerted effort by emergency services to save lives.”