Two teenagers sadly died after a car was driven at “incredibly fast” speeds, an inquest was told. Harvey Holehouse, 19, and Jake Hankins, 17, died as a result of a two vehicle collision on September 22, 2022.
The inquest into the deaths of the two teenagers concluded on Tuesday, June 20 at Nottingham Coroners Court. Coroner Jonathan Straw stated at the start of proceedings that the inquest was looking at “the collision leading not just to the two deaths of both Harvey and Jake, but also physical mental lifelong injuries to Olivia, to Sam and to Dominic.”
The court heard Harvey was driving Jake, Sam and Dominic back from the Magna Charta pub in Lowdham, during which he drove his Mercedes reaching a top speed of 127mph on Southwell Road, near Gonalston.
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The group had gone with some other friends to the pub after attending a planning meeting for an upcoming ploughing match. It was decided that Harvey would drop Jake off at Brackenhurst College, before taking Sam home to his parents house in Southwell, and then he planned to visit his girlfriend.
It was understood that Dom came along for the ride, as he had driven himself to the pub and was capable of driving himself home. Speaking in court, Sam Ware, who was a passenger in the car, explained that the car was being driven quickly and there was "loud" music playing on the journey.
He said: "Coming up to the long S bend where it goes right and then left, I’m not sure if he hit a wet patch or if he swerved a bit but the car lost control as we were going right. When he was steering left to bring the car back, the back of the car has strayed out to the right hand side.
"As we came into the S bend I could see a set of head lights in the distance. What I can see is Harvey trying to correct it to bring the car back around, he’s moving the wheel about to try and get it back."
Sam, who was 17 at the time of the accident, then remembers seeing the car headlights being closer, which were those of the Peugeot being driven by Olivia Robinson. Olivia had finished her shift at a pub in Southwell and was on her way back to her student accommodation in Nottingham when the collision occurred.
She was driving an average speed of 44mph on the road, which on the part they were on had a speed limit of 60mph, whereas the Mercedes was travelling at around 120mph. Video footage recorded by Dominic moments before showed the car reach a top speed of 127mph, although it decreased to 108mph two seconds before the crash.
The video was not shown in court but a still image was instead shown, in which a speed of 123mph was displayed on the dashboard. Speaking about the speed, the coroner stated: "That kind of speed is incredibly fast, ludicrous on that kind of road in those conditions."
It was then heard that the boys left the pub two or three minutes after their friends had left in another car. Sam stated: "She left two or three minutes beforehand, I remember Harvey saying don’t worry we’ll be able to catch up with them.
"Then Dom saying something along the lines of how fast can it go, what can it do." Following the collision on Southwell Road, Sam explained that the next thing he remembers was waking up in the car before he "crawled" out. He said: "First I was wondering where Harvey was, I was thinking where had he gone.
"I couldn’t see Harvey in the car but I heard like a snoring noise of Dom breathing that was coming from behind me. They were still in their seats."
Two witness reports were read out in court, one from Harvey's cousin who came across the accident on her way home that night and another from Olivia's boss stating she was due to finish work at 11pm but it was quiet so he let her leave early. Due to the force of the collision both cars were forced off the road, with Olivia's car stopping in a ditch and Harvey's car rolling upside down next to the road.
Forensic crime scene investigator, PC David Abbott of Nottinghamshire Police, arrived at the scene less than two hours after the accident. He explained to the court his findings that night and showed photos of the routes both cars would have taken, as well as images from the collision.
PC Abbott added that neither vehicles had an faults likely to cause or contribute to the collision. The toxicologist, Dr Smith, determined through a blood sample and vitreous sample that Harvey did not have a level of ethanol over the legal limit.
Pathologist, Dr Zaitoun, explained during the inquest that both Harvey and Jake suffered "multiple catastrophic" injuries. Harvey had been thrown out of the vehicle during the course of the collision and was left with chest injuries, pelvic injuries and a brain hemorrhage which proved fatal.
Similarly Jake suffered multiple fractures to his pelvic area and legs, as well as large cuts. Coroner Straw concluded that the four boys left the pub in Lowdham at some time after 10.30pm on Thursday 22 September last year, whilst at the same time Olivia having finished work was on her way back to her student accommodation.
He said: "Fatefully the two vehicles were destined to meet. The Mercedes driven by Harvey was driven at a grossly excessive speed, wholly inappropriate for that or any road and the weather conditions at the time."
Coroner Straw continued: "Tragically both Harvey and Jake were pronounced dead at the scene, each as the consequences of the catastrophic injuries sustained during impact. Two lives were lost but so many more were affected.
"Olivia was extremely badly injured, sustaining spinal, pelvic and leg injuries. Dominic having travelled in the rear passenger seat in the Mercedes’ sustained very significant head injuries, for which like Olivia treatment continues.
"Sam’s injuries themselves physically were far less significant but mentally he too must and will always bare the scares of that collision. Two lives lost, three further young people with dreadful physical and mental scaring and a whole host of friends, relatives with their lives upside down as a consequence of what took place."
He deemed that the cause of death was a road traffic collision on the A612 Southwell Road, near Gonalston. Harvey's family stated: "To everyone affected by the accident on the 22nd September 2033 and especially to Jake’s family we are truly sorry. We hope the memory of Harvey will not be defined by the events of that night and we hope that Harvey can be remembered for being the life and soul of wherever he went and for the love and kindness that he showed to all that he met.
"You always knew when Harvey was in the room. We will remember Harvey for laughing, dancing, singing and joking his way around our home and are incredibly grateful for the joy he brought to our family.
"Harvey was a good person with so much potential. We love him and miss him dearly." Speaking on behalf of Jake's family, a representative told the court: "Jake was a kind, gentle and considerate young man, just starting to plan plan out the rest of his life.
"He loved farming with an absolute passion and gained a great many friends through his interests in the farming community. Jake was a son, a little brother, a nephew and a grandson and loved by many people who will miss him dearly."
