The family of a Nottinghamshire grandad who died after driving into a house with two passengers in his car say he was someone who 'would not put people at risk'. An inquest which took place examining the circumstances of the death of 67-year-old Robert Crowder found that Mr Crowder died as a result of injuries sustained during a road traffic collision.
The incident took place on August 19 last year in South Avenue, Rainworth, where emergency services were called at around 11.10am. Mr Crowder had been driving back home from taking a friend shopping when his car went into the front of a house.
His friend and neighbour Diane, who he had taken shopping, was the rear-seat passenger of the vehicle, whilst Mr Crowder's granddaughter was in the front. His granddaughter suffered minor injuries but his friend was taken to hospital with serious injuries, which were not believed to be life-threatening.
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During a hearing at Nottingham's Council House on Monday (April 24), an inquest into Mr Crowder's death was told that he had suffered an "unexpected medical episode" whilst driving which left him "incapacitated." One neighbour reported seeing his Hyundai doing "motorway speeds" in the moments before the collision with the house, with the car said to have become "airborne" at one stage.
But Mr Crowder's son, John Crowder, said during the inquest hearing: "My dad was the kind of person that would not put anyone at risk. He would always do 5mph less than the speed limit if he'd got people in the car."
Assistant Coroner Nathanael Hartley, who first opened the inquest into Mr Crowder on February 21, began Monday's inquest by reviewing evidence from a post-mortem examination, a toxicology report and from Mr Crowder's GP. The hearing was told that Mr Crowder had started to develop shortness of breath in May 2015 and that he was found to have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
In terms of the months leading up to the collision, Mr Hartley told the hearing that Mr Crowder had been referred to a transient ischaemic attack (TIA) unit after seeing his GP in May 2022, who advised him at that stage not to drive. On June 8, 2022, he was found to have atrial fibrillation (AF), a condition that causes an irregular heart rate.
Mr Crowder was started on blood thinners at that stage and his consultant said that he could now continue driving. Nothing of any significance was found in the toxicology report whilst in terms of Mr Crowder's external appearance following the collision, the post-mortem examination found a seatbelt mark and some bruising.
Giving evidence during Monday's hearing was DC Adam Rigby, from Nottinghamshire Police's serious collision investigation unit. DC Rigby said he had been out of the office dealing with other enquiries on the day of Mr Crowder's death, but was called to South Avenue after the collision.
Describing the scene when he arrived, DC Rigby said: "The car was still in its final resting place in the front garden of the house, with the front of the car in the wall of the house." DC Rigby confirmed that Mr Crowder had taken his friend Diane shopping and was driving back when the collision occurred, with Diane later giving an account of the moments leading up to the crash.
Describing that account, DC Rigby said problems began when the car was driving down Python Hill Road in Rainworth, which leads on to South Avenue. DC Rigby said: "The car seemed to be out of control, so [Diane] leant forward and called 'Bob are you okay', but gets no response from him.
"At this point, the young girl is upset and saying 'Diane what's happening', so Diane turns her attention to the young girl and leans forward to comfort her." One woman who lived in the area told police that she had seen Mr Crowder's Hyundai travelling at "motorway speeds" past her home and ran out of her house to call 999, DC Rigby said.
DC Rigby said a forensic collision investigator from Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that the Hyundai had initially collided with a Ford Focus, which then went into a Vauxhall Corsa. Both cars were damaged, but the Hyundai continued travelling beyond this point and at one stage "became airborne before landing back on the carriageway", DC Rigby said.
The vehicle then crashed into the front of the property on South Avenue, the final resting place of the car, DC Rigby confirmed. Concluding the inquest, Assistant Coroner Nathanael Hartley said: "Robert was not someone who put others at risk, especially when driving. From the evidence given to me and the contents of the post-mortem report, I find that Robert experienced some sort of unexpected medical episode while he was driving, causing him to be non-responsive to stimuli.
"As a result of the collision, Robert suffered thoracic injuries that caused his death." Mr Hartley finished by offering his condolences to the family attending the inquest hearing, as well as to Mr Crowder's wider family and friends.
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