An inquest has revealed that three teenagers lost their lives following a collision between the vehicle they were in and a tree.
Dafydd Huw Craven-Jones, aged 18, Morgan Jones, 17, both from Wrexham in North Wales, and 17-year-old Sophie Bates from Stafford died as a result of the accident on May 25 of the previous year.
The Coroner’s Court for Staffordshire heard that Mr. Craven-Jones was operating the black Ford KA when it collided “head-on with a substantial tree” off the B5012 Cannock Road in Pilkington.
Both he and front seat passenger Mr. Jones were pronounced dead at the scene, while Sophie Bates, one of the passengers in the back seat, succumbed to her injuries at Birmingham‘s Queen Elizabeth Hospital on May 28.
Assistant coroner Kelly Dixon recorded a brief cause of death as a result of a road traffic collision.
“As the vehicle navigated a humped-back bridge towards Penkridge at high speed, it experienced a loss of control,” she stated.
A tracking application on passenger Brooke Varley’s mobile device “indicated that a maximum speed of 85mph was achieved at some stage during the 15-minute journey.”
(L-R) Dafydd Huw Craven-Jones and Morgan Jones. Photos: Staffordshire Police
The inquest revealed that, although the driver was secured by his seat belt, the front side passenger failed to wear his properly, and neither of the rear seat passengers were restrained.
Ms. Dixon expressed her belief, based on the balance of probabilities, that “excessive speed over the humped-back bridge” led to the loss of control.
The assistant coroner indicated her intention to issue a report aimed at preventing future fatalities to Staffordshire’s highways authority, following a prior fatal incident on that same road segment.
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In a statement following the tragedy, Ms. Varley, the only survivor of the incident, expressed her profound sorrow over the loss of such remarkable individuals from her life.
Both Mr. Craven-Jones and Mr. Jones were passionate rugby players, being members of Wrexham RFC’s youth team, where they were remembered as “good friends on and off the field.”
Following his passing, Mr. Craven-Jones’s family paid tribute, describing him as “a beautiful soul” and “a loving individual.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Jones’s family referred to him as a “highly regarded young man” who was “adored by all.”
Ms. Bates’s family reminisced about their “Princess Sophie,” stating she would be “deeply missed and cherished forever.”
