Tragic coincidence of barman's death

A popular barman was killed just a few miles from the spot where his parents died in a horror crash 19 years earlier.
Dean DewhurstDean Dewhurst
Dean Dewhurst

An inquest heard Dean Dewhurst, 28, was four-and-a-half times over the legal drink drive limit when the silver Volkswagen Golf he was driving was in collision with a van on Whalley Road, in Clitheroe, at 1.15am on September 26, last year.

The inquest, held at Ribble Valley Council chamber, heard Dean, who lived in Ribchester, was driving at speeds of 50 mph on Whalley Road when he lost control.

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In a tragic coincidence, he died just four miles from where his parents – Philip and Julie Dewhurst – were killed in a car accident 19 years ago.

At the time, Dean and his two brothers, Paul and Liam, were pulled from the wreckage of the smash on the notorious A59, near Sawley in 1997.

Dean, Paul and Liam were in the back seat of a green Honda, which was in collision with a Ford flatback vehicle transporter.

Giving evidence at the inquest, Paul Stott, driver of the van, recalled the moments before the crash.

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He told the inquest: “I was driving on Whalley Road towards the direction of Clitheroe when I saw a car drifting towards the middle of the road in the opposite direction. I flashed the lights to alert the driver, but he drove straight towards me. I turned the vehicle to my left and struck a stone wall.”

PC Grounds was the first officer on the scene.

He told the inquest: “As I drove towards Clitheroe, I saw a vehicle had crashed on the side of the road.

“It had sustained heavy front end damage and there was debris scattered everywhere on the road.

“The passenger door had been ripped open and the roof bent inwards. The driver was not moving and I tried to get a pulse.”

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A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr Richard Prescott revealed a severe injury caused by a piece of metal which had entered the chest.

Toxicology results showed Dean had an alcohol level of 346 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 80.

Coroner Michael Singleton concluded that the death was due to a road traffic accident.

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