Harry Peter DUNN · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 04 September 2019 I commenced an investigation into the death of Harry Peter DUNN aged 19. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 13 June 2024. The conclusion of the inquest was:

Road Traffic Collision

The circumstances of the death are as follows: -

On 27 August 2019 at about 2030 hours there was a head on collision between a car driven by ████████ an employee of the US Government who had not long been in the UK and whose husband worked out of the embassy RAF Croughton, and a motorcycle ridden by Mr Harry Dunn. The cause of the collision was that on exiting RAF Croughton ████████ inadvertently moved onto the incorrect side of the B4301 rural road and travelled about 350 meters on the wrong side of the road prior to the head on collision with Mr Dunn, who was on the correct side of the road travelling out of the village of Croughton.

Mr Dunn suffered catastrophic injuries including fractures to all four limbs, some of which were open in nature and a fracture to his pelvis with the concomitant severe internal blood loss commonly associated with such serious injuries.

He was attended to by an advanced medical team including a Consultant Anaesthetist and Critical Care paramedics and then conveyed to hospital where he died shortly after arrival.

(1) In August 2019 there were two categories of US personnel based at RAF Croughton: those associated with the United States Air Force: the Military personnel and those associated with the United States State Department and their dependants: the Diplomatic personnel;
(2) In terms of driver training provision there was a distinction between what was provided to the US Military and what was provided, or rather not provided, to Diplomatic personnel. The input provided to the US military personnel amounted to a driver briefing and the completion of a UK theory driving test. Nothing was provided to the diplomatic personnel.
(3) ████████ had received no familiarisation or any other form of training between her arrival in the UK on 24 July 2019 and the accident on 27 August 2019. Prior to the accident she had passed a thorough arrow signalling to a driver if they happened to be overtaking to get back to the left hand side. However, ████████ had not yet familiarised herself with the UK Highway Code and neither had she been trained in the differences in and significance of road signs in the UK.
(4) Had she received appropriate training and assigning of her to keep to the left and to help her to understand and interpret the UK road signs and markings it is possible the collision with Mr Dunn may not have occurred.
(5) Written evidence submitted by the US Embassy and read out at the inquest advised that since Mr Dunn’s death driver training was now provided to all personnel, including family members, assigned to the US Mission wherever they are based in the UK. In addition at RAF Croughton further training was provided for newly arrived US Personnel which included a mandatory local conditions driver safety briefing focussed on the dangers of wrong – way driving.
(6) However the evidence heard at the inquest as to the content of that briefing / training was at odds with what had been described by the US Embassy. Specifically I was told that the driving training being provided did not specifically cover the risks of wrong way driving.
(7) That creates a concern for me as to a risk of future deaths.