Death crash driver hit 88mph

Car stereo salesman Stuart Doe, 25, from Eastbourne was on his way home from work on February 18, an inquest heard on Wednesday.

He lost control of his Vauxhall Astra Turbo and crashed through the front of Gilbert House.

He died almost instantly from multiple injuries to his head and chest, the post mortem had revealed.

Residents of the block of flats, Jackie and her partner Graham, both in their 40s, were trapped under rubble in their front room.

Jackie escaped with a broken rib and Graham with a broken leg.

The second fatal incident at the scene sparked a major Observer safety campaign which led to a recommendation that barriers should be erected.

Coroner Alan Craze recorded a verdict of accidental death.

"All I can say is thank God nobody else was badly hurt or killed in the accident, and it was an accident," said Mr Craze.

"This is a death which has touched an enormous number of people but I hope also it is a death which has enabled lessons to be learnt."

The report of toxicologist, Dr Andrew Smith, was read.

Cocaine traces were found in urine samples, but not in blood and so Stuart was not under the influence when he crashed, but may have suffered mood swings as a result of drug use.

Mr Craze said: "I have noted in my mind that Mr Doe had taken cocaine, from the evidence from Dr Smith, between six hours and one and a half hours before his death. Certainly he had taken it on the day of the accident.

"I noted also that there was no cocaine found in the blood and I am going in my mind on the basis that he may have been under the influence of after-effects, but he was not under the influence of cocaine. However, what nobody can deny is that the major factor involved in this single car accident was speed."

PC Christopher Burt of Sussex Police Collision Investigation Unit said the speed of the Astra was "grossly excessive".

"Using data from tests I have calculated an initial speed of 88 miles per hour."

He said the actual speed could have ranged between 79 and 96 miles an hour.

"The combination of speed and poor steering resulted in the loss of control that couldn't be recovered. Excessive speed is the reason for this tragic but wholly avoidable incident."

Witnesses described seeing a car swerving violently across the lanes in the south west bound carriageway.

In doing so, it took down an illuminated 40 mile per hour sign, knocking out power to five street lamps.

A tree was struck and snapped in two when the car dived over the grass verge and into the house.

Andrew Crawford, of Crawley, was a colleague of Stuart.

He had been with Stuart and his father, John Doe, until 5.45pm - about 25 minutes before the accident.

He was on King Offa Way when Stuart lost control at what Andrew estimated to be between 80 and 100 miles an hour.

"The back of the car went to the right, then there was a correction that became an over-correction to the left. By this stage the car was in the middle of the road and then there was an over-correction again.

"I saw the car exiting the road and barrel-rolling three or four times.

"Then it hit the building."

Mr Craze said Stuart might have been trying to get his colleague's attention after recognising his car, or that an animal may have run out in front of the car, but said neither could be proved.

John Doe and Stuart's mother, Diane Sherin, raised the possibility there could have been a fault with the car but this was strongly opposed by PC Burt.