Carmarthenshire: Man killed in crash had been drinking - inquest

A 32-year-old man who died in a three-vehicle crash had been drinking, an inquest has heard.

Fraser Lloyd Parry, from Cwrtnewydd, Carmarthenshire, drove his van into two other cars on the B4336 on 17 November at 21:53 BST.

The inquest, at Llanelli Town Hall, heard his blood-alcohol level was three times the legal limit.

The coroner concluded he died from internal injuries suffered in the crash.

A post-mortem examination found Mr Parry died from abdominal injuries, including a lacerated liver, at the scene of the crash between the villages of Llanllwni and Llanfihangel-ar-arth.

The investigating officer for Dyfed-Powys Police, Sgt Gareth James, told the inquest that Mr Parry's white Vauxhall Combo van moved into the middle of the road before colliding head-on with a blue Ford Fiesta.

Four woman in that car suffered serious injuries, while the driver of a grey BMW X5 also involved in the crash was uninjured, he added.

Sgt James said visibility was "poor", with heavy rain and a wet road surface.

The inquest heard that Mr Parry had to be cut from his vehicle, and that he was not wearing a seat belt.

Referring to a toxicology report, Sgt James said it showed that there was 240mg of alcohol per 100ml in Mr Parry's blood, above the 80mg legal limit.

He added it would be speculative to say if intoxication had an impact on the collision.

Acting Senior Coroner Paul Bennet said Mr Parry died as a result of internal injuries whilst driving a vehicle that came into contact with a vehicle travelling on the opposite carriageway.

He recorded the death as a road traffic collision.