Inquest hears Carshalton man Darren Green was texting before being killed by lorry in Mitcham

11:40am Friday 7th September 2012 in News By James Pepper

Darren Green with his wife of only eight months Angela Green Darren Green with his wife of only eight months Angela Green

A motorist distracted sending a text message to his wife was killed in a crash with a refrigerated lorry, an inquest heard.

Darren Green, 35, was tragically killed on February 28 this year when the Peugeot he was driving swerved onto the wrong side of Bishopsford Road in Mitcham, hitting the 15 tonne truck.

The MOT tester was driving a customer’s car to the garage he worked at in Carshalton when the accident occurred at about 8.10 am.

At the inquest into his death at Westminster’s Corners Court yesterday, Kath Chisolm, from the police CID team that investigated the incident, said mobile phone records showed he had sent a text message to his wife of only eight months, Angela Green, moments before the accident is understood to have happened.

Witness Mr Brian Owen, who was in the car in front of Mr Green, told the inquest how the 35-year-old had just missed the rear of his car as he veered across the road.

He told the court: "I was slowing down as we approached traffic at the junction. The car behind me was moving over to the left, then he changed his mind when he saw the stationary cars."

The inquest heard Mr Green was not wearing a seatbelt when he was hit by the lorry, which was on its way to St Helier Hospital.

One witness, Alan Parkinson, had told the court he felt lorry driver Martin Bourke was going "far too fast", but the lorry's digital tachograph revealed he could not have been going faster than 27mph.

Mr Bourke told the court: "I was coming down the hill, I checked in my mirror for motorbikes flying past, I looked back and the Peugeot was in front of me, it was a split second, like a blink of an eye."

Coroner Fiona Wilcox, in recording a verdict of accidental death, said: "Darren Paul Green was distracted by sending a text message and was taken by surprise by stationary traffic in front of him. This case has shown once again about the dangers of using mobile phones when driving."

Widow Mrs Green described Mr Green as "a truly exceptional person who I was proud to say was my husband."

Comments(24)

itsonlyme2 says...
12:35pm Fri 7 Sep 12

Nice one Pepper. Don't you think his wife has to live with this forever? She don't need it advertised in black and white!

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Tubby Jim says...
2:14pm Fri 7 Sep 12

very sad , tragic.

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mr-bjp says...
2:39pm Fri 7 Sep 12

itsonlyme2 wrote:
Nice one Pepper. Don't you think his wife has to live with this forever? She don't need it advertised in black and white!
James Pepper is only reporting the findings of the inquest. It is not his personal opinion. The article also highlights the dangers of using a mobile phone whilst driving, which everyone should be made aware of.

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Michael Pantlin says...
5:34pm Fri 7 Sep 12

itsonlyme2 wrote:
Nice one Pepper. Don't you think his wife has to live with this forever? She don't need it advertised in black and white!
No reason to shoot the messenger bearing bad news.

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Simbali says...
6:53pm Fri 7 Sep 12

Maybe if more of these tragedies were reported there wouldn't be so many willing to take the risk. It will be hard for his wife to deal with but how much harder if he'd taken others with him? I don't suppose the lorry driver is feeling great and that will probably affect him for a long time too.

So sad for everyone affected by this.

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Tubby Jim says...
8:00am Sat 8 Sep 12

itsonlyme2 wrote:
Nice one Pepper. Don't you think his wife has to live with this forever? She don't need it advertised in black and white!
poor form ridiculing Mr Pepper who is a **** fine respected journo, he highlights excellent safety warnings about the danger's of texting whilst driving which no amount of reminding can be enough, and apology would be suffice.

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itsonlyme2 says...
10:07am Sat 8 Sep 12

im not saying dont say it had something to do with the mobile phone but what is the need to say who sent the message? he is such a brilliant journalist he has been asked to remove the pictures from the website and he cant even do that? this family are trying to deal with their grief and bringing this up yet again isnt letting them do that.

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Krissi says...
11:19am Sat 8 Sep 12

it is hard enough for the family, yes- but if reporting this prevents another family suffering in the same way, then reporting this could be a good thing- just not for his family

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TheEverardedbutt says...
11:52am Sat 8 Sep 12

Don't text or use a mobile phone whilst driving.
He wasn't wearing a seatbelt either.
Clearly he had scant regard for his own life and those of other road users

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sfocata says...
2:12pm Sat 8 Sep 12

This should definitely be highlighted. This bloke could have killed someone else through his own selfishness. As it is, he's killed himself... he doesn't have to live with the consequences of his actions, but his friends and family do.

I see people using their mobile phones (for calling and texting) while driving several times a day, and it's clear they're not in a position to pay proper attention to the road.

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tjames says...
2:17pm Sat 8 Sep 12

London Road, not Bishopsford Road

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cinderella4eva says...
3:45pm Sat 8 Sep 12

How many moments before? I may be wrong but he may not have been driving when the message was sent, he may have sent the text before he set of driving again??? The story does not say that he was seen texting whilst driving, only that records showed that he had sent a message MOMENTS BEFORE. It's all to easy to read what you want to and judge when you don't know the full facts, but I hope people remember that other people, people who are still grieving, can see these messages, and it is possible that nasty words will feel like more punishment. So people, please have a heart.
My deepest sympathy still goes out to everyone who lost Darren, R.I.P x

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biscuit67 says...
8:31pm Sat 8 Sep 12

Tragic that he lost their life and clearly a popular guy. But whilst debating what time he sent the text, no other reasons, such as having to swerve or overtaking has come to light and there were witnesses. It's sheer luck that it didn't claim more lives - such as a cyclist or motorcyclist hit head on.

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tjames says...
6:46am Sun 9 Sep 12

wait until the fire engines happen--disaster in the offing!

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1978_ leigh says...
9:15pm Sun 9 Sep 12

DONT BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ IS ALL I CAN SAY..!!!!!!!!

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PeterM says...
9:55pm Sun 9 Sep 12

The Guardian in simply reporting what was said the at inquest, that Darren had been texting just moments before he crashed the car.

It may not be what you want to hear, but it is what happened.

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BrettFalcon says...
8:02am Mon 10 Sep 12

Although i hate journos as much as i hate kiddy fiddlers , this guy was only reporting what has been stated to him. He aint the casting vote on this matter.

I have to say that everybody who owns a mobile will know that you can send a txt , press the txt button and sometimes it floats about in txt land till it finds a signal and then sends and shows sent at that time.When it connects to the signal it would show a delay, the time actually sent which may have been roughly the time of the incident.
Darren was a thoroughly professional man and very good fun to be with. I dont for one minute concur with these findings. As for the police investigation?? they couldnt run a bath let alone an indepth complex accident management investigation

Sadly the final diagnosis of this matter will forever remain as stated and found, but anybody who knew Darren knows the truth and only Darren knows what really happended.. thats what really matters. RIP Darren, everybody that knows you loves you, ...you were a giant ..a gentle giant x

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Tubby Jim says...
2:03pm Mon 10 Sep 12

how cabn you class journo's the same as child abusers, fooking d**khead.

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kingstonpaul says...
12:56pm Tue 11 Sep 12

Shame on the neanderthals that have used this discussion board to throw grotesque infantile abuse at each other.
An inglorious and insulting gesture to the memory of the deceased man and his poor family.
And, let us not bee too hasty to judge the deceased. How many of us could stand up and say we've never taken a risk behind the wheel?

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imalaydee says...
4:08pm Wed 12 Sep 12

It says he swerved onto the wrong side of the road, yet the Coroner says he was distracted and was surprised by the stationary traffic and the witness said he pulled back in, so Im a bit confused by the story.

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AlphaBetty says...
2:21pm Thu 13 Sep 12

imalaydee wrote:
It says he swerved onto the wrong side of the road, yet the Coroner says he was distracted and was surprised by the stationary traffic and the witness said he pulled back in, so Im a bit confused by the story.
It does make sense - the witness said that the driver was veering to the left, but saw the traffic and "changed his mind". I would think that means he was on the left (correct) side of the road at first, swerved to the right to avoid the stationary traffic, but over corrected and ended up on the wrong side of the road.

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QPR4Me says...
2:53pm Thu 13 Sep 12

At the end of the day, this man died because he wasn't paying due care and attention to the road and wasn't wearing a seatbelt.
Driving is dangerous when you take stupid risks.
That is the lesson that people have got to learn!

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posh bird 81 says...
3:13pm Fri 14 Sep 12

I also attended the inquest of Mr Green,as already mentioned by another reader the accident happened in London road not bishopsford road Mr Green did NOT work at a garage in carshalton, Mr green was NOT on his phone moments before the accident. i do not know which inquest you were attending Mr Pepper but if it was Mr greens then report the facts and do NOT sensationalize a tragic accident, a written statement from another witness stated that Mr green had BOTH HANDS on the steering wheel. i was also surprised at how witnesses had changed their stories from 6 months ago, Mr alun Parkinson did not see the accident,he did not know why he had been summoned. in fact he was not attending and did not turn up at the inquest and he had to be collected by police and driven to London. he then went into great detail of how he saw the whole incident! Mr Brian Owen decided to say that he himself was driving approximately 40mph.
i trust he will be given a fine and 3 points on his license as any other motorist would be given,Mr owen did not bother to dial 999, nor help Mr green but lit a cigarette and left his details with the lorry driver!!
I am appalled by certain information given on that day, Mr Green now needs to be left to rest in peace and his family left alone to grieve!

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JustSayin20 says...
10:23pm Sun 16 Sep 12

Reading some of the comments on here has left me feeling disgusted!!
Anyone ever considered the family in all of this whilst commenting??? Because I am pretty sure if this was a tragedy that happened to any one of your families then you wouldnt be so quick to judge and believe everything you read in the papers?!?!
Mr Green was an amazing individual who had nothing but a caring nature and time for others and would never do a thing to put people in harms way.
All i can say is people need to not believe what is written in the papers and unless you actually attended the inquest and heard with your own ears what was said then really you should not be so quick to judge as papers are there to sell a story and journalists do not care about the feelings of others when 'selling' their story.
As per the previous comment I believe the family need to be left alone to grieve and Mr Green to be left to rest in peace!!

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