passenger grabbed steering wheel perhaps ?and scarperedMystery still surrounds what caused a cab driver to veer off the road and crash down an embankment to his death, an inquest heard.
Tahir Khan, 29, a cab driver for Silsden and Steeton Private Hire, who lived in Granville Street, Keighley, died on May 24 last year after the Peugeot Partner Tepee he was driving left the northbound Aire Valley trunk road, between Keighley and Steeton, at around 9.30am.
The inquest, at Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court, held by senior coroner Martin Fleming, heard Mr Khan was not wearing his seat belt.
Eye witness Stephen Webber, who was directly behind Mr Khan, said they were travelling at around 55mph when the mini cab went into the side of the road before swerving to the right at a 90 degree angle, and then to the left and going down the embankment and hitting a tree.
Stephen Slack, and his daughter, Katie, were driving a few cars behind and had dashcam footage which was shown to the court.
Mr Slack and his daughter stopped at the scene with the other eye witnesses and commenced CPR on Mr Khan.
Paramedics arrived at 9.47am but the driver was pronounced dead at 9.52am.
Toxicology reports proved negative for drugs and alcohol and a non-invasive post mortem scan determined the cause of death was chest injuries.
Collision investigator for West Yorkshire Police John Green said the vehicle was mechanically sound and the road was in a good state.
“There was no third party involvement. Why the vehicle crossed the rumble strip in the first place, we don’t know,” he said.
Mr Green added the vehicle hit the tree at speed and was very badly damaged. He said: “Even if Mr Khan had been wearing a seat belt he would have at least had sustained serious injuries and it may not have made any difference to the outcome.”
Mr Khan had only been on shift a short time and billing details showed he had not be using a mobile phone.
Recording a verdict that Mr Khan died as a result of a road traffic collision, Mr Fleming said: “This is a very sad case. Mr Khan was an exemplary taxi driver and his family is, naturally, devastated. There was no third party involvement and Mr Khan may have over-compensated the steering after a loss of concentration.
“To their credit, those who tried to help did all they could in very difficult circumstances. We will never know if wearing a seat belt would have helped.”
Login
Register
FAQ
