A teenage boy has died after losing control of his car on a rural road only days after passing his driving test, an inquest has heard.
Archie Harris, 17, lost control of the vehicle while travelling too fast around a bend on the A3071 near his home in Holsworthy, Devon.
His Ford Fiesta left the road, hit a tree and landed nose down in a gully at Blakea Bridge near Beaworthy.
Archie had not been wearing a seatbelt at the time of the incident, which occurred on May 26 – only 11 days after the teenager got his driving licence.
The former Holsworthy primary and secondary school student was described as ‘the life and soul’ of any gathering by his parents, with his death leaving a ‘massive void’ in the lives of his family and friends.
The inquest into his death, held in Exeter, heard Archie had met up with friends at the Memorial Hall car park in Holsworthy on the day he died.
He then drove in a three-car convoy to The Bickford Arms a few miles away on the A3072.
The group played pool in the pub before leaving shortly before 4pm, with Archie’s car being the last in the convoy.
One of Archie’s friends said he was ‘very excited’ about gaining his driving licence and having the freedom to drive, reports Devon Live.
The inquest heard from witnesses driving on the road the same day and travelling in the opposite direction, who said they saw cars driving ‘recklessly’ at speed around a bend.
It is likely Archie was driving in excess of the 60mph speed limit at the time of the crash.
One witness who saw the incident said the third vehicle – driven by Archie – was a few seconds behind the others and swerved while rounding the bend before rolling and landing in a gully beside the road.
The witness then pulled over and called 999.
Emergency services attended the scene, finding Archie had been ejected from the vehicle.
He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene at 4.39pm.
A post-mortem examination found Archie died of multiple injuries, but there was no alcohol in his system.
The inquest heard Archie’s friends pulled over when they noticed he was no longer behind them but could not locate him. It was only when police blocked the road that they realised he had crashed.
Crash investigators, who provided reports for the coroner, noted there were no defects with Archie’s car or no issues with the weather.
Coroner Alison Longhorn concluded Archie was driving in excess of 80mph, without a seatbelt on and beyond his level of experience when he lost traction and span out of control.
She recorded his death as a result of a road traffic collision.
Members of Archie’s family, who attended the hearing, thanked the emergency services and those who supported them through his tragic death.
His mum Georgina said in a statement that Archie, who worked as a builder’s labourer, enjoyed to banter with his friends and had ‘confidence in abundance’ and ‘swagger to complement it’.
She said: ‘He was always polite and spoke to anyone,’ she said. ‘He never felt embarrassed and had a large friendship group.
‘This has left his family and friends with a massive void. He was such a large character who wore his heart on his sleeve, We now have to learn to live with the emptiness it brings.
‘Unfortunately road traffic deaths continue to happen. There will always be people in our situation coping with the aftermath.
‘One day there might be a solution so no one has to go through what we have to.’
