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Seatbelt warning follows horror crash inquest


by Faiza Afzaal


A CORONER stressed the impor­ tance of young drivers wearing a seat belt following the deaths of two Ribble Valley teenagers killed


in a horrific car crash. A joint inquest held a t the Ribble


Valley Borough Council Chamber on Monday heard how cousins and “inseparable" friends James Mark Dewhurst (16) and 19-year-old Samuel John Lund, died after the Peugeot 205 saloon they were travel­


ling in crashed into a tree on the out­ skirts of Rimington, near Gisburn, on Saturday, January 13th. Mr Stephen Wilson, a retired senior


accident investigator, said it appeared tha t Samuel, who was driving, had not been wearing his seat belt. James, a passenger in the car, had


been wearing a seat belt, but was pro­ nounced dead at the scene. A post­ mortem examination carried out by Dr Richard Prescott, at Royal Black­ burn Hospital, confirmed James died of a head injury. Samuel, a rookie stock car driver.


was thrown from the vehicle and taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital having sustained a head injury, but died five days later. Returning a verdict of accidental


death for both Samuel and James, Blackburn, Hyndburn arid Ribble Valley coroner Mr Michael Singleton, spelled out the dangers of motorists not wearing a seat belt. He said: “While we can teach peo­


ple to drive, we cannot give them the experience. They can only gain that behind the wheel. “The evidence is that Sam was not


FLASHBACK (0 (he (imc of


the crash when floral tributes


were left at the scene in Rim­ ington Lane. (B160107/1C)


wearing a seat belt, but had he been wearing one, the outcome may have been different. For all young drivers, particularly given the lack of experi­ ence, the least thing they can afford to do is take additional risks. . “But to drive without wearing a seat belt is unforgivable. There are other people on the roads that may well do foolish things. I t ’s imperative that everyone should wear a seat belt at all times.” The inquest heard how on the night


of the crash, the former Gisburn Pri­ mary School pupils had been travel­ ling in Rimington Lane, which has a


■ speed limit of 60 m.p.h. Just minutes before the accident, the teenagers had


■ Va iJ


TOGETHER in life and death Sam,


left, and James t


been spotted driving towards the A682 by Samuel’s brother, James Lund. Mr Wilson, who carried out an


investigation of the incident, which occurred just after 8 p.m., told the hearing that the crash occurred at the crest of a hill as the road curved slightly to the right. He explained that the weather was


damp and windy on the night and a gust of wind could possibly have


resulted in Samuel losing control of the vehicle and crashing into the tree. On examination and investigation


of the Peugeot, he confirmed that a number of problems were found with the vehicle, but none of those in his opinion contributed to the accident. “Had the driver’s belt been in use,


this may have prevented the driver being ejected from the car and less­ ened the extent of the injuries,” said Mr Wilson.


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