A MAN from Old Colwyn died after the taxi he was driving crashed and hit a stone wall on the A55.

Kian Daniel Collier died aged 22 on October 28, 2023.

Following a full inquest into his death, held in Ruthin today (May 2), Kate Robertson, assistant coroner for North Wales East and Central, recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision.

Mr Collier’s medical cause of death was recorded as multiple injuries due to a road traffic collision.

His loved ones who attended the inquest described Mr Collier, an Everton supporter, as a “lovely” and “funny” man, adding that it was a “tragedy that his life was taken so young”.

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The inquest heard that, having been a passenger in a white Hyundai taxi, Mr Collier then took the vehicle without its owner’s consent, before driving it in the direction of Conwy.

At about 5.50am on October 28, Mr Collier was driving the taxi on the A55, eastbound, at Dwygyfylchi, when it struck a curb while negotiating a bend.

This caused the vehicle to career across the carriageway, go through a stretch of metal railings, and hit a stone wall.

He was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash.

Dr Huyen Abdel Salam, in undertaking Mr Collier’s post-mortem examination, found alcohol present in samples of his blood and urine at levels exceeding the drink-driving limit.

Gordon Saynor, of North Wales Police’s Forensic Investigation Unit, arrived at the scene shortly before 7.30am that morning.

He described the weather conditions as the time as “fine and dry”, with visibility clear, and the road surface in a good state.

The vehicle sustained significant damage in the crash, with both of its offside wheels becoming detached.

But a full mechanical examination of the taxi, carried out in December, found no defects about the vehicle which could have contributed to the crash.

Though Mr Saynor said a meaningful calculation of Mr Collier’s speed at the time of the crash could not be performed, he said that the damage caused to the taxi suggested it had “significant kinetic energy”.

As such, he considered it likely that Mr Collier was travelling “well in excess” of the 30mph speed limit.

Based on the evidence before him, he added, it could be accepted that Mr Collier was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.

Mr Saynor’s opinion was that Mr Collier’s own actions, coupled with the impairment caused by driving under the influence of alcohol, were the only contributory factors.

Though, there was no available evidence as to why Mr Collier had lost control of the vehicle while negotiating the bend.

Concluding, Ms Robertson offered Mr Collier’s loved ones her condolences, telling them: “Clearly, he had his whole life ahead of him.

“To lose somebody so young in such circumstances is incredibly tragic.”