Investigation and inquest
Beverley Siddall died on 8th August 2015 and an investigation was opened on 21st August 2015 and an Inquest on the 11th February 2016. The inquest hearing took place at Truro Municipal Buildings on 16th May 2016.
Circumstances of the death
Beverley Siddall was driving his blue Fiat Panda car registration number ████████ along the A3075 in the direction of Newquay on 7th August 2015. At around 22.40 pm, after a series of bends in the road at Perranwell, near Goonhavern, he failed to negotiate the last bend and his car left the road and dropped down four feet and entered a field, where the car was seen to bounce until it came to rest in a nearby river .He was not wearing a seat belt and the airbags deployed. As a result of this together with the collision, he suffered multiple injuries. He was attended by a first-aider and paramedics and transferred to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Treliske, Truro where he was recognized dead at 03.09 on 8th August 2015 as a result of his injuries. It was not clear whether there was any reason why Mr Siddall failed to negotiate the bend.
Coroner’s concerns
That two witnesses to the traffic collision noted in evidence that they had seen evidence of a good number of cars leaving the A3075 road at Cosy Cottage, Perranwell at the same point as Mr Siddall. The police Collision Investigator at inquest, noted when he went to survey the scene there was another car present that had come off the road which had nothing to do with Mr Siddall’s collision. There was concern at inquest that the road layout, or safety notices and/or barriers in place, were not adequate and that this section of road should be reviewed with the view to reducing the risk of cars leaving the road at this point.