Sam Gardiner, who starred in the BBC series alongside his mother Jo, died earlier this year after losing control of his VW Golf car in terrible weather on a busy road
Tragic Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner died when he lost control of his car while driving in “appalling” weather, an inquest into his death has heard.
The 24-year-old suffered a catastrophic head injury when his “high-powered” VW Golf veered off the northbound carriageway near Cheadle earlier this year. He had been driving on the A34 on Monday 26 May when his car left the road and rolled before landing on its side
An inquest at Manchester South Coroners Court has heard how Sam – who graced our screens on the BBC travel series with his mum Jo in 2020 – had been travelling home to celebrate his aunt’s birthday bash after working as a landscape gardener up in Scotland.
In a tribute, Coroner Christopher Morris said: “Sam was truly a remarkable person who lit up the lives of many…He loved his sport, he loved his cars, and he loved being outdoors. “He was one of life’s adventurers,” adding that he was “caring, generous, with a great spirit and a big heart”, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The court heard that witnesses saw Sam’s car “overtaking and undertaking” in heavy rain before it collided with the central reservation and left the road. Detective Constable Simon Venguedasalon, of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, told the inquest: “Several witnesses said that Sam was undertaking and overtaking slow-moving vehicles.
“A lot of the witnesses had slowed down due to the lack of visibility and the standing water on the road. His driving was not consistent with the conditions at the time.” DC Venguedasalon revealed that there were defects or potholes on the road, and some of the grids were blocked, contributing to the wet road surface. However, there was no CCTV or dashcam footage of the incident.
He added: “Sam unfortunately wasn’t driving to the conditions of the road. Due to the lack of tread on the tyres he lost control on the carriageway due to speed. He unfortunately left the carriageway and the collision then occurred.”
Police Constable Adam Dixon, a forensic collision investigator at GMP, told the inquest the road surface was “very wet” due to “bad weather” and that the tyres on Sam’s car had insufficient tread depth, which was a likely contributing factor to the crash.
He couldn’t estimate the speed Sam was driving on the 50mph road, but Mr Morris concluded that he was driving at a “significant estimated speed”.
Dr Naisbitt, a consultant in intensive care at Salford Royal Hospital, told the court Sam was placed in an induced coma due to severe head injuries. Doctors concluded that “he had sustained a devastating head injury in the crash and that there was no realistic prospect of any meaningful recovery”.
Tragically, Sam passed away in hospital on May 29. His cause of death was ruled a devastating brain injury due to a road traffic crash. Concluding that Sam had died in a road traffic collision, Mr Morris said he had been “weaving in and out around traffic” in “appalling” weather conditions before he “struck a kerb on the central reservation”.
He further stated that both the ‘insufficient’ tyre tread depth and his manner of driving were significant factors in his loss of control of the vehicle. Sam’s adoptive mum Jo concurred that her son was “generous, big-hearted and caring”, adding that he had a passion for cars. She revealed he had “chopped the exhaust off” his VW Golf R to make it “really noisy”.
Sam appeared alongside his mum Jo in the 2020 series of the BBC show when they journeyed across South America. They were unable to compete in the final leg of the race after they ran out of money.
In a heartfelt tribute following Sam’s death in May, his parents Jo and Andrew expressed their devastation, stating: “Sam left us far too soon, and while words will never fully capture the light, joy and energy he brought into our lives, we hold on to the memories that made him so special.”
Sam’s parents said he was ‘adored by his family’ and described him as ‘loyal, funny and fiercely protective’. They added his time on the BBC show ‘opened Sam’s eyes to the wonder of adventure’. Jo Gardiner told the Manchester Evening News: “Following the inquest, we want to thank all the witnesses who stopped to help Sam and all the emergency services involved.
“Whilst we are heartbroken over the loss of Sam, the generosity of people towards helping others with FASD is inspiring.”
A JustGiving page, set up in his memory by his family to support National FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder), has already raised over £28,500.
Source: Mirror
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