Carpenter lost control of van and hit tree in horror crash, inquest told

Thomas Paul Weaver, from Upper Gornal, Dudley, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident on the A41 at Shakeford Farm, Hinstock, near Market Drayton, on the morning of November 18, 2021.

He had been on his way to work at Tern Hill, driving a Vauxhall Combo Van with his brother in the passenger seat. His brother, who was not named in Thursday's inquest, had been seriously injured but coroner John Ellery was told he had made a full recovery.

Sitting at Shirehall, in Shrewsbury, Mr Ellery was told that Mr Weaver did not have either alcohol or drugs in his system and there was no evidence of any distraction or deficiency in the road that could have caused him to momentarily lose control.

Both Mr Weaver and his brother had been wearing seat belts and there were no mechanical defects that could have contributed to the tragedy. It was found to have slightly under inflated tyres but that would not have contributed to the crash.

Pc Tim Viner, in evidence read out in court, said Mr Weaver had "failed to remain in his lane" before the van went into a field with Mr Weaver having "limited" ability to regain control as he braked.

The court was told that the van went into a roll before hitting a tree stump, becoming "airborne", and striking a large tree.

Pc Viner told the coroner that it had not been a low-speed collision but that a bend in the road could be easily negotiated at 50mph.

Mr Weaver's family was represented by a police family liaison officer who agreed that they were fully aware of the circumstances and had been kept informed.

Mr Ellery said that a possibility was that Mr Weaver had momentarily lost control and had tried to correct it by excessively steering to the right.

"But we do not know the reality," said Mr Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire and Telford.

He recorded that the cause of Mr Weaver's death had been multiple injuries due to a road traffic collision.