Winchester Coroner’s Court hears how speed and vehicle defects contributed to fatal crash involving Joshua Longman (20) from Totton

A COMBINATION of speed and vehicle defects contributed to the death of a young driver who crashed on a main Forest road.

An inquest into the death of Joshua Longman (20), of Jacobs Gutter Lane in Totton, heard how he had overslept on 29th November 2023 and was heading to work when he lost control of his Ford Fiesta on Main Road, Dibden Purlieu.

His mother Kelly told the court he had slept through his alarm that morning, but she woke him before leaving to go work.

She later received a call from the police informing her of his sudden death.

A statement read to the court on her behalf said the space left behind by Joshua’s death “will never be filled”.

He was described as “fun, kind, loyal, hardworking” and “a force to be reckoned with”.

As a teenager he was a keen gymnast and competitive diver, winning local and national competitions. He also became a coach, supporting young divers.

After leaving college, Joshua gained an apprenticeship at a boat building company in Hythe, which he would have completed this summer.

Motorist Peter Gorse, who had left Dibden Purlieu and was heading to work in a Mercedes Sprinter van, said in a statement he was driving slightly under the limit, at around 35mph, as he was preparing to pull in at a friend’s home.

“I became aware of a vehicle approaching [on the other side of the road]. It became apparent the vehicle had lost control and the next thing I knew, it had steered towards me, colliding head-on with my vehicle.”

Mr Gorse got out of his car and went over to the Fiesta, putting his head through the window to check on the driver, who was unresponsive.

Shortly after, a student nurse arrived on the scene and spoke with the emergency services via telephone. Despite efforts by the emergency services, Mr Longman was pronounced dead at the scene.

Mr Gorse’s statement added: “There was nothing I could have done to prevent the accident from occurring. I had nowhere to go and the collision was inevitable.”

Witness Jack McIlwraith, who had been travelling to work behind Mr Gorse’s vehicle, said in a statement he saw the Ford approaching from the opposite direction.

“It looked like it had lost control. It crossed the white line and crashed into the front of the Mercedes”, he explained.

Motorist Neil Leaver, who was also driving towards Southampton around 7.20am, said in a statement he noticed the Ford travelling “well in excess” of the 40mph limit and estimated it was likely to be around 60-70mph.

As it approached a slight bend, he saw it twist to the offside and it appeared the driver had lost control, he said. The car went out of sight, and he was not sure if the driver had managed to right the vehicle.

The court heard later that evening, while talking to his wife, she informed him of an accident on the road, which prompted him to contact the police.

Forensic collision investigator Michael Toy told the court the road was deemed in good condition and neither driver had been using their mobile phones before the crash.

While the Mercedes van had no pre-collision defects, the anti-roll bar was missing from the Ford and three of the tyres were over-inflated by 50%. The fourth tyre was a spare, which was a different size to the others.

The handling and steering of the vehicle would have been “significantly reduced” due to the missing anti-roll bar, he said, in addition to the other defects and increased speed.

Mr Longman was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash, he added.

Mr Toy concluded: “The cause of this collision was the combination of Mr Longman attempting to navigate the right-hand bend at excessive speed in a vehicle with numerous mechanical defects, which likely reduced the vehicle’s handling and stability.”

He added Mr Gorse had been travelling below the speed limit and witnesses said he had “driven well” prior to the crash. He had no time to avoid the collision, he concluded.

Dr Vipul Foria, who carried out the post mortem examination, ruled the cause of death was due to multiple injuries.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, coroner Christopher Wilkinson said: “On that morning he had overslept and I suspect he was probably in a rush.

“It isn’t clear to me why – and I would hope very much it wasn’t a tendency he had to do – that he wasn’t wearing a seatbelt that morning, which was a contributory factor in the severity of the injuries he sustained.

“The combination of entering the bend at slight excessive speed in a vehicle with defects has caused the vehicle to lose control and Joshua has been unable to recover it. It was an unexpected, unintended occurrence.”