Two friends died after one of them drove at speed on the wrong side of a busy road before a head-on crash, an inquest heard. Tom Ashley, 31, was behind the wheel of a white Renault Megane taxi which belonged to his friend and front seat passenger John Hughes, 42, before the smash just before 7am on July 12, 2020.
Bolton Coroners' Court heard that in the build-up to the incident, joiner Mr Ashley and Mr Hughes, a taxi driver - who had been at a 30th birthday party - travelled at speeds of up to 75mph on Bolton Road in Pendlebury. That led to Mr Ashley, from Clifton, driving on the wrong side of the road and crashing into another vehicle, driven by Mark Taylor, who was left with serious injuries.
Mr Ashley and Mr Hughes, from Swinton, both sustained 'unsurvivable' injuries in the smash, with police believing neither were wearing a seatbelt. Both were nearly four times the legal drink drive limit and had taken cocaine, the court heard.
