Authorities Say U.K. Camping Accident That Killed 4 Teens Was ‘Avoidable'

Authorities have recently determined that the November 2023 deaths of four teenagers who crashed their car on a camping trip were “avoidable,” according to The Times and the BBC .

Hugo Morris, 18, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Jevon Hirst, 16, died last year whilst embarking on a camping weekend in Wales. Morris, “a relatively new driver,” lost control of the Ford Fiesta on a dangerous bend which experts say was not adequately marked.

“The vehicle has come into the bend a little bit too quickly and has under-steered,” Ian Thompson, a collision investigator at North Wales police, explained. “Mr Morris negotiated the right-hand bend, entered onto the grass verge, went down a steep embankment, and then into a water-filled drainage ditch.”

Thompson added that Morris’ driving was “significant” and the accident itself “avoidable.”He saw “no catastrophic mechanical failures,” but did note that the vehicle’s rear tires contained only half the required pressure to carry four people. Under-inflated tires can make cars more difficult to steer and more susceptible to losing control, especially in wet conditions.

Thompson reported that it had rained heavily the day of the crash, which caused a nearby river to rise by three feet in a single day. CCTV footage indicates the accident occurred on November 19, 2023, at about 11:40 a.m. local time.

At a court hearing, senior coroner Kate Robinson testified that none of the victims suffered any substantial internal or external injuries. She said the young men were “likely” wearing their seatbelts and died by drowning “very soon” after the crash. “I find that all four young men would have died very soon following the collision, given the post-mortem findings and that they died by drowning,” she explained.

Robinson partially blamed inadequate signage for the accident, saying that posted warnings didn’t properly alert drivers to the impending curve. The maximum speed on the road was 60mph, but the turn required drivers to go no faster than 38mph. Since the tragic accident , additional traffic warnings have been placed at the scene.