A mum has paid tribute to a "caring" son with a "heart of gold" who died in a crash on the A19 in County Durham as an inquest into his death is held.
Jack Kennedy, 22, a much-loved son, grandson, great-grandson, and fiancé, from Hartlepool, was driving between Seaham and Murton on October 29 when he was involved in the fatal crash.
An inquest into his death on Friday heard how Jack's silver BMW X3 was being driven along the A19 southbound carriageway near the Dalton Park slip road when he lost control of his vehicle.
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The vehicle collided with the central reservation before overturning and Jack, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt, was ejected from the vehicle sustaining "traumatic" head injuries.
During the inquest, the coroner read out excerpts from a statement made by Jack's mother Alison who brought Jack up with help from her parents who he had a very close relationship with.
Jack went to primary school in Hartlepool before moving onto secondary school and then college where he initially studied engineering and then bricklaying.
A statement from his mum said: "He was very much hands-on and practical, he liked working with his hands.
"He was very caring and had a heart of gold. Jack had once got into trouble at school after standing up for a friend that was being bullied.
"He loved motorbikes he was going all over the country to compete. He was also very fond of horses and that was a hobby that stuck with him.
"He was very popular and had lots of friends, many friends through the horse community.
"Hundreds came for the funeral with friends coming from all over the country.
"He enjoyed working with his friends and grandad who helped him out with projects."
Tragically, the night before the accident, Jack had proposed to his girlfriend Sophie, the inquest heard.
His mum had been in the car with Jack numerous times and said she felt like he was a "safe and competent" driver.
A toxicology report found no alcohol in his system but found that he had taken cocaine prior to the accident.
Forensic collision investigator, Jason Coverdale, explained how a witness who was travelling at 70mph saw Jack's silver BMW come up behind her at speed, coming within 100 yards of her.
She saw the car move over into the right lane, then back into the left lane, and then back into the right lane again before she saw his car overturn.
The inquest heard how the car rotated clockwise and collided with the metal safety barriers.
PC Coverdale said he didn't see any hazards or obstructions at the scene and said there were no mechanical defects with the vehicle.
He said it was more than likely that "drug impairment" contributed to the loss of control of the vehicle.
Assistant coroner, Leslie Hamilton, concluded that Jack died as a result of a road traffic collision and said there can be "lessons" from his tragic death.
He said: "Everybody in society is aware of driving under the influence of alcohol, but maybe young people, in particular, are not aware of how drugs can affect your ability to drive.
"There may be a lesson for the public from this. It's dangerous to drive under the influence of drugs and clearly wearing a seat belt is really important."
