Lyn Morgan · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 2nd of May 2013 an investigation was commenced into the death of Lyn Morgan. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 20 February 2018.

The medical cause of death is
1a multiple injuries

The conclusion of the inquest was how Mr Morgan came to his death is road traffic collision and is as follows:-

the deceased died in a road traffic collision when a lorry lost control on the northbound carriageway of the A465 and crossed into the southbound carriageway and collided with the deceased’s oncoming vehicle. The driver of the lorry was not aware of his actions, however there is insufficient evidence how that loss of awareness materialised.

The deceased was Lyn Morgan, who was pronounced dead on the 25th of April 2013 at the scene of a road traffic collision on the southbound carriageway of the A465 road near Resolven. Lyn suffered traumatic injuries as a result of that collision. The other vehicle was a Renault 19 tonne artic lorry which consisted of the tractor engine unit and an unladen Montracon trailer adapted to carry logs and fitted with a crane for loading and unloading.

The lorry was travelling on the northbound carriageway of the A465. At approximately 15:40 the lorry was seen to veer from the nearside lane to the outside lane. The lorry then veered back to the nearside lane but kept moving left and off the carriageway onto the hard shoulder. The lorry continued along the hard shoulder and verge area before colliding with the nearside barrier. The lorry then left the barrier returning onto the carriageway but began sliding in a clockwise motion across both lanes of the northbound carriageway, then going over the top of the central reservation and onto the southbound carriageway into the path of with Lyn’s van.

1. The barrier is designed to redirect the vehicle along its length, so that it doesn’t flip over or be redirected back onto the carriageway. On this occasion the height of the wheels and the lack of input on the steering wheel deflected the wheels and therefore redirected the lorry back onto the carriageway contrary to its design.
2. The road in question is extensively used by heavy vehicles and therefore the potential is there for these circumstances to arise again.