Adrian Spencer Fowler sustained severe chest injuries when his silver Peugeot 307 smashed into the bank on Mont de la Pulente on Sunday 24 June at about 8.50 am.
On Monday, relief coroner Dr Martin Barett found that he could not determine whether Mr Fowler, who it is ‘strongly suspected’ was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, meant to take his own life or whether the incident was accidental.
The inquest heard that two men – a driver who had been heading down the hill at the time of the crash and former police chief Mike Bowron, who had been riding his motorcycle – gave Mr Fowler CPR until the emergency services arrived, but despite their efforts the 50-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene at 9.22 am.
As part of the investigation, officers looked into five possible reasons for the crash: whether Mr Fowler had suffered a medical episode prior to the collision; whether there was a mechanical failure with his vehicle; if he had crashed deliberately; whether the smash was due to careless or reckless driving; and whether there had been third-party involvement.
Dr Russell Delaney, a Home Office pathologist who carried out the post-mortem examination, said he did not identify any natural disease that he believed ‘could have contributed to [Mr Fowler’s] death or the mechanics of the collision’.
He said Mr Fowler would have rapidly lost consciousness after suffering multiple injuries on impact, including a tear to his heart, as well as a displaced and fractured sternum.
‘These are what I would describe as unsurvivable injuries,’ Dr Delaney said.
No traces of alcohol or drugs were found in Mr Fowler’s blood or urine and an examination of his vehicle did not ‘find any contributory factors which may have affected the drivers’ ability to control the vehicle’.
The driver who was heading down the hill was the only person to witness the crash told officers that he estimated Mr Fowler’s car was travelling between 40 and 50mph immediately beforehand and described how the front of the car ‘crumpled’ on the impact.
Mr Fowler was already out of his car, lying on the ground unconscious by the time the man had stopped his vehicle and went to his aid.
In his statement to the police, which was read out during the inquest, the driver said that at one point Mr Fowler attempted to get up but he urged him to ‘lie back down and relax’. He added that when he asked Mr Fowler for his name ‘his jaw and lips moved but nothing came out’.
The witness, and a nearby resident, also told officers that in the lead-up to the crash they did not hear the screech of brakes.
DC Donna Malzard, a forensic collision investigator, told the inquest that on the day in question the weather was dry and sunny and driving conditions were good.
She added that the position of the sun ‘should not have caused any issues’ for Mr Fowler and that in the lead-up to the hairpin bend there was adequate signage in place to warn motorists to slow down.
The speedometer of the car was frozen at 66–67mph on impact, DC Malzard said, adding that it was likely Mr Fowler was travelling in the region of 66 to 74mph before the collision.
The inquest heard that Mr Fowler had a history of mental-health issues and shortly before he died he had been struggling with the death of his father and the fact that he had been given an eviction notice.
However, the inquest also heard that shortly before he died a medical professional described Mr Fowler as ‘having one of his better days’ and that no suicide note had been found.
