Andrew Moore, 46, Swala Harling, 47, and their son Sebastian Moore, 14, from Derbyshire, died after their BMW was seen ‘undertaking’ on hard shoulder
A BMW carrying a couple and their teenage son was seen travelling at speeds as high as “140mph” when it smashed on the M5, killing all three of them, witnesses have revealed at an inquest.
Andrew Moore, 46, Swala Harling, 47, and Sebastian Moore, 14, from Derbyshire, lost their lives after the vehicle veered off the northbound carriageway of the motorway in South Gloucestershire on the evening of Friday, May 30, last year. Driver Mr Moore, his partner who was in the front passenger seat and their son, who was sitting in the nearside passenger seat, were all pronounced dead at the scene.
The cause of the high-speed smash remains shrouded in mystery, an inquest was told. A coroner said that while Mr Moore had epilepsy, had undergone an aortic valve replacement and had a pacemaker fitted, there wasn’t sufficient evidence to conclude he had experienced a medical episode, reports the Manchester Evening News.
During the hearing at Avon Coroner’s Court, eyewitnesses recalled seeing the estate car undertaking, weaving across motorway lanes and speeding up the hard shoulder. It was observed swerving across the motorway, hitting a crash barrier and travelling down an embankment before smashing into trees.
Andrew Robiliard stated the BMW had overtaken him at speed in the outside lane of the motorway, before switching lanes to drive onto the hard shoulder to undertake lorries. “I would estimate the speed at over 100mph,” he said.
Lorry driver Adam Norris revealed he was “shocked” to witness the car undertake him on the hard shoulder. “I would estimate it between 100mph and 120mph. It could even be as much as 130mph,” he said.
Joshua Jack estimated the car was travelling at approximately 140mph. “It was travelling very fast and had thrown up debris from the hard shoulder, which covered my car,” he said.
Fellow motorist Andrew Harding added: “Not only was the car driving fast, but I could see it had its hazard lights on. I formed the opinion it appeared like someone apart from the driver was trying to steer.”
“By this I mean it appeared that whoever was in control of the car was over-compensating, causing the car to swerve from side to side.”
Motorist Ali Shabaz witnessed the BMW crash through his rearview mirror. “I can only describe this collision as like an explosion, with a big cloud of smoke followed by car parts being thrown everywhere,” he said.
Lorry driver Peter Bakowsky also saw the crash unfold and told the court: “In a matter of seconds, I saw the vehicle brake lights come on and heard tyres screeching, before watching the vehicle crash into the barriers landing in a field. The next thing I remember is a cloud of dust and parts of the vehicle scattered across the motorway.”
Another lorry driver, Jurgens Terblanch, was travelling on the southbound carriageway when he witnessed the collision. “I then saw the white car speed direct into and collide with the barrier with a massive force, and the car pitched upwards and went airborne towards several trees just off the motorway,” he said.
“I would describe it travelling some distance airborne before it collides with the trees and dropped into what looked like a ravine off the motorway.”
Emergency crews attended the scene, but the three people in the vehicle, all from Chesterfield, were pronounced dead shortly afterwards. The court was told that crash investigators couldn’t determine whether there were any faults or defects with the BMW owing to the extensive damage it suffered.
Post-mortem examinations revealed that Mr Moore, a mechanic, died from multiple injuries, while Ms Harling, an IT worker, also died from multiple injuries, and Sebastian’s cause of death was recorded as head injuries.
Toxicology results for Mr Moore came back negative for drugs and alcohol, and his heart and brain were analysed by specialists but “again nothing of note was found that caused or contributed to the death”, the coroner stated.
“It is not for me to answer a question of why,” area coroner Dr Peter Harrowing said.
“There is insufficient evidence before me to indicate that this was a deliberate act on the part of Mr Moore in driving the vehicle in the manner in which he had driven.
“It has not been possible to identify whether there were any mechanical defects. He may have suffered a medical episode at the time, but there is insufficient evidence for me to make a finding in that respect.
“Therefore, as to why the vehicle was being driven in the manner it was driven, there is insufficient evidence for me to reach a conclusion on the balance of probabilities.”
The coroner delivered conclusions that the deaths resulted from a road traffic collision.