George Robert DILLON · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 01 June 2023 an investigation was commenced into the death of George Robert DILLON aged 19. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 24 April 2024. The conclusion of the inquest was that:

On the evening of Thursday 18th May 2023 the Deceased was driving a VW Golf south along a country road, namely Lee Lane, Romsey, in the vicinity of its junction with Spandard Lane when at around 22.16 to 22.26 he lost control of the car by reason of his speed on a crest in the road, and hit a large tree. He was the sole occupant of the car. There is no evidence that any other vehicle was involved. He suffered catastrophic and unsurvivable injuries. He was taken to the Neurosurgical Unit at Southampton General Hospital where he died from his injuries on 20th May 2023.

On the evening of Thursday 18th May 2023 the Deceased was driving a VW Golf south along a country road, namely Lee Lane, Romsey, in the vicinity of its junction with Spandard Lane when at around 22.16 to 22.26 he lost control of the car by reason of his speed on a crest in the road, and hit a large tree. He was the sole occupant of the car. There is no evidence that any other vehicle was involved. He suffered catastrophic and unsurvivable injuries. He was taken to the Neurosurgical Unit at Southampton General Hospital where he died from his injuries on 20th May 2023.

A. Lee Lane, near Romsey, Hampshire, is a country road, subject to the National (60mph) speed limit. There is a crest in the road at its junction with Spandard’s Lane. The Deceased lost control of his vehicle on the crest.
B. The maximum speed at which a person can travel over the crest whilst remaining in full control of the vehicle is 45mph. A driver negotiating the crest around the speed limit of 60 mph will run the risk of the vehicle leaving the ground, or at the very least a momentary loss of effective steering control, followed by the underside ‘bottoming out’ on the road surface. Numerous historical gouge marks on the road surface either side of the junction demonstrate that “numerous vehicles have previously ‘bottomed out.”
C. When travelling south, approaching the crest, as the Deceased did, it is possible to see a bend in the road in the distance, but the road immediately beyond the crest is not visible to a car driver.
D. It is suspected that there have been previous collisions at the scene.
E. I am concerned that at night the extent of the hazard posed by the crest even to a vehicle travelling within the speed limit is not readily apparent and there is an absence of warning signs