Derbyshire driver killed in Boxing Day crash had taken cocaine and cannabis, court told

Sheffield coroners' court was told how Jack Robinson had been driving around with his girlfriend, Kimberley Milne, in the hours leading up to the smash which happened on Station Road, Killamarsh, at around 9.30pm on December 26 last year.

Collision investigator, PC Lee Simpson, told the inquest that Mr Robinson, of Killamarsh, was driving a grey Renaut Clio at approximately 63mph in a 30mph zone when it came off the kerb and collided with a lamppost.

Floral tributes left at the scene of the crash.

It is believed Mr Robinson attempted to break to stop the crash from happening but had already lost control of the vehicle.

The car ended up on its roof at the side of the road.

No other vehicles were involved in the collision, the court heard.

PC Simpson told the court that pathology tests showed Mr Robinson, 20, was 'over the prescribed limit' for both cocaine and cannabis when the smash took place.

He told the inquest that research showed the consumption of such substances tended to affect a person's spacial awareness and their propensity for risk taking.

Daniel Hobson, the first person to arrive on the scene, described in his police statement how he pulled over his car after seeing bits of glass, wood and wiring from the damaged lamppost.

Because the crashed car had not come to rest in the road itself, Mr Hobson said he was first alerted to the collision after hearing a woman shout, 'please, can someone help me?'

He said: "As I got close I could see the remains of a small car on its roof.

"I could see the body of a man on his back.

"The car was very dented."

The court was told how Mr Robinson was found unconscious a short distance away from the driver's side door of the car.

He was not wearing a seat belt and only held a provisional driving licence, the inquest heard.

The emergency services were called to the scene and both Mr Robinson and Ms Milne were taken to Northern General Hospital.

Despite the best efforts of medics, Mr Robinson died from the multiple injuries he suffered in the crash at around 2.40pm the following day, December 27.

Ms Milne was released from hospital a short time after being admitted for treatment of the minor injuries she suffered in the smash.

In her statement read out to the court, Ms Milne said that when she had previously gone driving with Mr Robinson she had told him off for travelling too quickly and had threatened to get out of the car if he did not slow down.

But on the night of the crash, she described his speed as being 'steady' for most of the evening.

Coroner Abigail Combes concluded Mr Robinson died as a result of a road traffic collision.

She recorded multiple injuries as the medical cause of death with his consumption of cocaine and cannabis as a secondary factor.