Death of young rock drummer in Chesterfield car tragedy a 'sad waste of life', coroner says

James Umney died when the Mini Cooper he was driving ‘well in excess of the speed limit’ collided head-on with a Volvo XC90 on Somersall Lane, Chesterfield, an inquest heard.

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Mr Umney, who was the drummer in local indie band Clear Vinyl, was just 21.

PC Nick Bettney, of Derbyshire Constabulary’s collision investigation unit, attended the scene of the crash, which happened adjacent to the junction with Yew Tree Drive at around 8.20pm on August 2, 2019.

In a statement read out at Chesterfield Coroner’s Court on Monday, PC Bettney said the Mini was travelling at around 67mph when it crashed. The speed limit on Somersall Lane is 30mph.

PC Bettney added: “It appears that as a result of driving well in excess of the speed limit, Mr Umney failed to navigate a bend in the road which led to him crossing the central marking into the opposite lane where he then collided head-on with the Volvo.

“Mr Umney didn’t apply the brakes prior to the impact.”

Andrew Smith, the driver of the Volvo, told the inquest he was returning from church with his children when the collision happened.

He said he ‘had no time to react’ and there was an ‘almighty bang’.

The court heard IT analyst Mr Umney – who was driving home after a gig at Queen’s Park – was being followed by two bandmates in an Audi S1, which also became involved in the crash.

Matthew Kewley, assistant coroner for Derbyshire, said Mr Umney suffered ‘fatal injuries’ as a result of his car colliding with the Volvo.

He added: “Sadly this is another incident which shows the danger of travelling in excess of the speed limit.

“This is a sad waste of life of a young man who was clearly very talented and will no doubt be terribly missed by all his friends and family.”

He said it was not known why Mr Umney was ‘driving too fast’.

Mr Kewley extended his condolences to Mr Umney’s loved ones as he concluded he died as a result of a road traffic collision.

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