Elderly Oldham couple died in Wales crash when accelerator was 'probably mistaken for brake'
Norman Clarke and his wife Doreen were driving home to Oldham from a holiday in north Wales
Gareth Hughes
Paul Britton
Scene of the crash on the A494 at Queensferry (Image: Daily Post Wales/Jez Hemming)
An elderly Greater Manchester couple driving home from a holiday in Wales died in a horror crash after the car's accelerator pedal was 'probably mistaken for the brake', an inquest heard.
Former mechanic Norman Clarke, 81, who was driving the automatic, and his wife Doreen, 78, a retired book-keeper, were killed when their Ford Focus hit a central reservation barrier then veered across a road and smashed into a tree.
The tragedy happened on the A494 at Aston Hill, Flintshire, north Wales, on September 6 last year.
The couple, from Mildred Avenue in Grotton, Oldham, were driving home from their caravan at Betws-yn-Rhos, near Abergele, which they visited three or four times a year.
Collision investigator Ian Thompson told the inquest hearing in Ruthin that with no mechanical defects, no medical problems, good weather and good road conditions, there was 'no other explanation' for the tragedy.
Witness Kirsty Hughes, who was travelling in the same eastbound direction on the dual carriageway, described how the Ford Focus passed her at high speed.
In a statement read at the hearing by Joanne Lees, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, Ms Hughes said: "It reminded me of the police pursuits I have seen on television."
The inquest heard the collision was so severe the car's engine was thrown out.
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Another motorist, Shirley Gelder, said it was going 'like a bat out of hell', the inquest was told.
Mr and Mrs Clarke both died from 'traumatic chest injuries', according to post-mortem examinations.
Mrs Clarke wasn't wearing a seatbelt, but the assistant coroner said a belt wouldn't have saved her.
The couple's son, Paul Clarke, told police his father had previously suffered minor strokes but was a careful driver and would have called to ask for a lift home from Abergele had he been feeling unwell.
Collision investigator Mr Thompson said research had shown that older drivers of automatic cars sometimes pressed the accelerator pedal instead of the brake.
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"They think they should be braking, so press harder and cannot understand why they are not slowing," he said.
Assistant coroner Mrs Lees recorded a verdict of death from a road traffic collision.
She said: "Pedal misapplication was the most likely cause."
The inquest heard Mr and Mrs Clarke were both born and brought up in Oldham and played an active part in the community.
They met while members of the same youth club and were highly regarded by their neighbours.
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Grotton
Saddleworth and Lees