Teenagers died after young driver ‘lost control of car and hit a tree’

Three teenagers died successful a car clang aft they collided with a tree, an inquest heard.

Dafydd Huw Craven-Jones, 18, Morgan Jones, 17, and Sophie Bates, 17, died aft the crash connected May 25 past year.

The clang happened connected a humpback span successful Penkridge, Staffordshire, astatine 11.47pm.

The inquest into their deaths held astatine Stafford Coroners Court heard Mr Craven-Jones was the operator of the achromatic Ford KA that collided ‘head-on with an established tree’.

He went to prime his 3 friends up from a location enactment successful Penkridge and beforehand took a video of himself saying helium drove 90mph successful a 70mph zone.

He had lone been fixed his driving licence six months earlier the clang successful November 2023.

Mr Craven-Jones and Mr Jones, the beforehand spot passenger, some died astatine the scene.

Ms Bates, a rear spot rider successful the car, was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital successful Birmingham but died there.

Video taken by her beforehand appeared to amusement her sitting successful the mediate rear seat.

The 4th passenger, Brooke Varley, besides 17 astatine the time, survived.

A tracking app connected her telephone ‘indicated a maximum velocity of 85mph had been reached astatine immoderate constituent during the 15-minute journey’.

But the tribunal heard this could not beryllium verified arsenic accurate.

Ms Varley said successful a connection aft the clang that she was ‘so upset to person mislaid specified astonishing radical from her life’.

She said: ‘Sophie was the kindest idiosyncratic who lived her beingness to the fullest. She is my inspiration to get amended and bash everything she didn’t get a accidental to do. She volition everlastingly beryllium successful my heart.

‘Morgan was 1 of the funniest radical I know. He was ever respectful, benignant and sweet. He ever looked retired for me.

‘Daf had a benignant psyche and loved his friends.’

The inquest heard that Mr Craven-Jones was wearing his spot loop but Mr Jones was not wearing his correctly and neither rear spot passengers were wearing spot belts.

Both Mr Craven-Jones and Mr Jones played rugby for Wrexham RFC’s younker team, who described them arsenic ‘good friends connected and disconnected the tract of play’.

There were nary problems with the car that caused the clang and it had been correctly insured and had a afloat MOT, Sergeant Richard Moors said.

Mr Craven-Jones had nary portion oregon drugs successful his strategy and determination is nary grounds helium was utilizing his telephone astatine the clip of the crash, helium added.

Assistant coroner Kelly Dixon recorded the deaths arsenic a effect of a roadworthy postulation collision.

She said that ‘inappropriate velocity implicit the humped backmost bridge’ caused a nonaccomplishment of control.

Ms Dixon has issued a prevention of aboriginal deaths study to Staffordshire highways authorization aft a erstwhile fatal collision connected the aforesaid agelong of road.

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