Circumstances of fatal hill collision still unclear

Monday 04 February 2019

It remains unclear whether a 50-year-old father who died after speeding into a wall at more than 60mph crashed accidentally or in an attempt to take his own life, an inquest has concluded.

Police officers believe Adrian Spencer Fowler was driving between 66mph to 74 mph when he failed to negotiate the hairpin bend at the top of La Pulente Hill and crashed into a granite wall on the side of the road. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

An inquest into his death heard that an islander driving down the hill the other way witnessed the collision and assisted Mr Fowler after the crash. He was later joined by Mike Bowron, the former Police Chief. They both started CPR on Mr Fowler but he was sadly pronounced dead by paramedics shortly after.

The witness said that the car had come into view and very quickly and “slammed into the cliff". “The full car went into view far too quickly to be at reasonable speed,” he told Police. 

Pictured: Adrian Fowler hit a granite wall on the side of the road.

Dr Russell Delaney, a Home Office registered forensic pathologist who carried out a post mortem examination on Mr Fowler, found that he had died as a result of severe chest injuries. The collision had caused a number of fractures as well as a tear in Mr Fowler’s heart. Dr Delaney said that the injuries, which he described as un-survivable, were consistent with a “high-energy collision".

Mr Fowler didn’t suffer from any medical condition that could have directly caused the collision, and no drugs or alcohol were found in his system.

The inquest heard, however, that in the weeks before his death, Mr Fowler had struggled with a “number of adverse life events". He had lost his father in early June, was facing an eviction from his flat. A consultant psychiatrist said that he had reported feeling tired and under pressure.

Yet, days before his death he had been “laughing, smiling and making jokes". He had also talked about his plans for the coming week and made an appointment to see his psychiatrist the following week.

Pictured: Police officers analysed the scene of the accident.

Inspector Sian Gidley wrote a report about the collision, saying that there was no obvious sign of swerving or braking prior to the collision on the road. She added that injuries to Mr Fowler’s hands showed he had been in the process of steering, but that it might have been done too late. She ruled out the possibility of a mechanical failure.

She also considered whether the collision had been the result of a deliberate act, but said there was no evidence to prove this. She therefore suggested that Mr Fowler had “driven beyond his capabilities and his vehicle’s”, causing him to lose control of the car. She added that Mr Fowler, had a history of mental health issues, which might have affected his judgement.

Forensic collision investigator DC Donna Malzard said that on the day of the accident, the weather conditions were good, adding that Mr Fowler couldn't have been blinded by the sun. There was no debris on the road or anything that could have contributed to the accident.

Pictured: The inquest was heard by Dr Martin Barrett at Morier House.

She told the inquest that the speedometer of Mr Fowler’s Peugeot 307 had frozen at 66mph, which meant Mr Fowler could have been driving at up to 74mph. 

She said the seatbelt had been found locked in the upper position, indicating that it was not being worn at the time of the collision. She said there was no evidence that Mr Fowler had been using his phone before the impact.

Concluding the inquest, Dr Martin Barrett said he couldn’t be sure whether Mr Fowler had intended to take his own life. He therefore made an “open conclusion”, stating that Mr Fowler had failed to negotiate the bend at the top of the hill and hit a granite wall and had died of chest injuries.

He added that he was unable to confirm whether the collision had been a suicide or accidental.