A driver killed in a motorway crash had 'not slept or rested in any meaningful way' for 24 hours, an inquest heard. But the reason why Peter Howorth lost control of his Audi A5 in the fatal accident near Bolton 'remained unclear', a coroner said.
The 32-year-old courier, of Bolton, died after his car careered up the banking, flipped onto its roof and crashed into a bridge on the A666 at 5.24am on May 27 last year. He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to hospital, where he later died.
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The Audi was travelling at 86mph moments before the crash, the inquest at Bolton coroners court heard. A pathologist's reports gave a cause of death as 'traumatic head injury'.
Senior coroner Timothy Brennand said: "For reasons that remain unclear, the deceased ceased to retain control of his motorcar as it left the carriageway to the nearside, travelling up the banking before rotating and impacting, roof first, with the motorway overbridge.
"A forensic reconstruction report established that the deceased made no attempt to brake, but there had been last moment attempted driver steering input immediately prior to impact. The deceased was the subject of prolonged attempted resuscitation by emergency services who had attended the scene promptly and he was transferred to Royal Bolton Hospital, where, having sustained a devastating head injury from the impact, he failed to respond to continued resuscitation and was verified to be dead at 7.20am that day."
Mr Brennand said it remained unclear what affected his driving. The coroner also said in the 24 hours before the crash Mr Howorth had 'not slept or rested in any meaningful way', but added 'to what extent that likely fatigue had affected him remains unclear'.
In his conclusion Mr Brennard said Mr Howorth died as a result of a road traffic collision. In a tribute released after Mr Howorth's death his family said: "Peter was loved by everyone that met him. A genuine and caring guy with a big heart who loved life."
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