Van driver swerving onto opposite lane before fatal collision near King's Lynn

A van driver fell asleep at the wheel before a crash near Lynn that killed him and one of his passengers, an inquest has heard.

James Albert Cox, 43, and Riki Paul Boughen, 46, both of Prince’s Road, Wisbech, died on Wednesday, January 17, after a road collision on the A47 near the Hardwick Road roundabout on Constitution Hill.

Mr Cox was driving a five passenger Ford Transit van when he collided with an oncoming 55-seater single decker Volvo bus after drifting into the opposite lane.

Matthew Cambray was driving the bus and was left helpless after Mr Cox lost control of his vehicle. Mr Cambray was driving at 48mph and all his passengers were at the rear end of the vehicle.

The inquest, held in Lynn on Friday, was told driving conditions were good, and that Mr Cox did not have an appropriate driver’s licence at the time after failing to reapply following his disqualification.

Mr Boughen was asleep behind the driver’s seat. Adam Smith, a co-worker and witness said he and Adam Bunton had also fallen asleep as passengers in the van.

All of those in the vehicle had been working on a Persimmon homes site at Hethersett before leaving at around 4.30pm on the afternoon of the accident.

Mr Smith added it was not unusual for all of them to work 60 hours a week.

Witness Melvyn Sayer said: "I noticed the van drift into the overtaking lane then return back into my lane. I did not think the vehicle wanted to overtake. The vehicle was travelling at 60mph and each time the van drifted onto the other side there was nothing coming the other way.

"I did become concerned and ringing the police did enter my mind. It was some two miles or so from King's Lynn when I heard a loud bang. I did not see the collision take place."

Tests showed Mr Cox had taken heroin and the painkiller co-codamol. Although this would suggest drowsiness, the inquest heard the crash could not be conclusively linked to it.

Witness Peter Free, who was driving in the area at the time, said he saw the van swerve up to six times onto the opposite side of the road just before the crash.

Senior coroner Jacqueline Lake said Mr Boughen had died from a severe head injury because of the crash. Mr Cox died of multiple injuries at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital following the collision.

Mrs Lake said: "Mr Cox had used heroine prior to his death. The effects of this to his driving at the time are not known but the effects of morphine do include drowsiness."