Britons coach crash deaths 'accidental'

Nov 1 2006

A CORONER has recorded verdicts of accidental death on 11 tourists from the West Midlands who were killed when their speeding coach crashed as it careered off a French motorway 16 years ago.

In recording his verdict, the Telford and Wrekin Coroner, Michael Gwynne, said the deaths had been aggravated by the excessive speed of the vehicle and a failure to check tyre pressures.

The inquest in Telford was told that the double-decker coach, being operated by a Shropshire-based firm, was en route from Spain's Costa Brava to Calais when it careered off the A6 80 miles south of Paris on June 3, 1990.

The 76-seat vehicle - which a tachograph showed was travelling at 78mph - ended up on its side and crashed through concrete fence posts into a field after its front offside tyre burst.

Six of those killed, who were aged between ten and 68, came from Telford, four from Wolverhampton and one from Oldbury, West Midlands.

After announcing his verdicts, Mr Gwynne told relatives of the dead that the French system had failed them by taking so long to investigate the tragedy.

Mr Gwynne was told that the driver of the coach, John Johnstone, died in August this year of natural causes, aged 68.

He was given a suspended prison term by a French court in 2003 after being convicted of involuntary manslaughter, but appeals against the finding meant paperwork for the inquest was not sent to Britain until earlier this year.

Earlier, Valerie Reynolds, whose 45-year-old husband Michael died in the crash, told the hearing that the coach was being "pushed on" because it was running late.

Mrs Reynolds said passengers had addressed concerns to a female courier about the coach - which should have been travelling at no more than 56mph - swaying and going too fast, but she had responded with laughter.