Inquest into death of Aaron Ricketts from Strood finds he was speeding on A2 near M2 and Wainscott junction and tyres were in poor condition
A father of two was killed in a "tragic" crash caused by speed, the damp road surface and the condition of his tyres, an inquest heard. Aaron Ricketts died on September 26[1] on the A2, where it joins the M2 at the junction for Wainscott, after he lost control of his black Vauxhall and smashed into the central barrier and a bridge parapet.
An inquest on Wednesday, February 19, at Oakwood House, in Maidstone, heard emergency services were called around 2.35am to the single-vehicle crash near the slip road for the A289 towards Wainscott. After being cut out of the car by firefighters, paramedics found the 29-year-old football fan had multiple injuries.
He was pronounced dead at the scene at 3.30am. It was a route he knew well as he often travelled between his home in Strood[2] and London, but where he was going that night was not revealed during the inquest. PC Darren Chapman said the death was a "tragic collision" caused by speed, the damp road surface and the condition of the vehicle's tyres.
Toxicology tests found no drugs or alcohol in Aaron's system.
Two eyewitnesses, who had called the police following the crash, told officers they were travelling at 70mph when they saw a black Vauxhall Tiguan overtake them at around 100mph in the lane furthest to the right. One said the vehicle's movements were "erratic and very fast". Both described the conditions as "wet but not raining".
Police ANPR cameras and National Highway camera footage confirmed Aaron overtook both witnesses' vehicles while dash cam footage from another vehicle travelling on the same road at the time of the crash verified the weather.
The same cameras picked up the collision, which saw him move from the furthest lane on the right to the left-hand lane, at which point he lost control of the vehicle.
One of the witnesses told detectives that he saw the car overtake him but then it disappeared from view. When he next saw the Vauxhall, it was "somersaulting" in the air before it landed on the central reservation. PC Chapman told the court that the "primary contributing cause of the collision" was the poor condition of the Vauxhall's rear passenger-side tyre.
Tests showed it had a puncture and, as a result, was underinflated. The tread was 0.5mm under the recommended depth. While the investigation could not pinpoint when the puncture had happened, it did note it had been there before Aaron's final journey.
His two front tyres also weren't inflated properly. The inquest heard Aaron should have been aware of this as his vehicle should have shown an alert.
The investigation found Aaron had not been wearing a seatbelt but the damage to the car was so severe, it would most likely have proved fatal even if he had been strapped in. No texts or calls had been made from his phone at the time of the accident.
Senior coroner for northwest Kent Roger Hatch concluded: "It is clear from the investigation that this collision was a result of a combination of factors.
"Aaron Ricketts' death was due to a road traffic collision." Aaron is understood to have left behind two young sons. In a statement posted on a GoFundMe page shortly after his death, his mum Marica James said: "Aaron was a wonderful son, brother, father, and friend, who touched the lives of those around him.
"To say this is a shock is an understatement, we are all truly devastated by Aaron's loss."
On the day of the crash, the A2 coastbound carriageway was shut between Gravesend and junction 1 of the M2 for Strood for some time.
A specialist structural engineer was called to assess damage to the lampposts, the central reservation barrier and bridge supports which had been struck.
References
- ^ died on September 26 (www.kentonline.co.uk)
- ^ Strood (www.kentonline.co.uk)