The fatal teenage driver was driving under the influence

The driver of a car that crashed into a bus and split it in half, killing three people, including himself, was drunk and threatened to face charges if he survived, an inquest heard.

Jesse Owen, 18, and two of his four passengers, Morgan Smith, 18, and Callum Griffiths, 19, died when they were thrown from the Audi A1 on December 11, 2023, in Caudill, Rhonda Cynon Taf.

Toxicology tests showed Mr Owen had 113mg of alcohol per 100ml in his blood – the legal limit is 80mg per 100ml.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Coroner Graham Hughes said Mr Owen lost control due to speed but his “level of intoxication was unlikely to have contributed significantly to the collision”.

The court heard the Audi was badly damaged and split in two, but had no defects that would have caused the split and its tires and brakes were in good condition.

The investigation showed that the vehicle was traveling at a speed of about 82 km/h.

Had the car been traveling at 20 mph (32 km/h), it was unlikely he would have lost control, the coroner said.

Police investigators said it was impossible to say whether the teenagers were wearing seat belts and Mr Hughes was told that if he had survived, Mr Owen could have been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

Front seat passenger Ellis Williams was the only “casualty” to survive, while others suffered life-changing injuries.

In his statement, Mr Williams told the court he heard others in the car urging the driver to slow down.

He said that minutes before the crash, “I thought we were going fast. I heard someone say “whoah, whoah, whoah.”

He told the inquest that he looked up and saw that “Jesse looked scared”.

After the crash, he said he looked to his right and saw the driver’s seat was empty. He added that “the car split in half.”

He said he looked around “screaming” and saw others on the floor.

Mr Williams said it was the day of his father’s funeral and that they had come from a wake after the funeral.

The group were initially in the pub before moving on to the Tonyrefail Workingman’s Club, where witnesses described them buying drinks.

One of the bar staff said she asked them for ID and served them three alcoholic drinks each.

Luca Watkins, a friend of the group, said in a statement that they were leaving to go to either Coedely or Cardiff.

He said: “We saw them leave as a group, within minutes I heard there was an accident in the Koedeli area.”

The court heard that Mr Owen was not going to stay with the group but was simply going to drive them to Cardiff as he had work in the morning.

Witness Martin Russell said he was waiting to exit the intersection and saw a car traveling “extremely fast” down the road at 20 mph and estimated it was traveling at about 50-60 mph (80 -97 km/h).

Hugh John said in a statement that he was walking his dog on Ely Valley Road and recognized the car as belonging to his friend’s son and saw “a lot of heads” inside.

He had to “drive in the middle of the road through the chevrons to keep the line” because of how fast he was going.

The coroner was shown CCTV footage which showed the car hitting the front of the bus sideways and then traveling some distance down the road.

The court learned that it was dark and raining at the beginning of the day, but it was not at the time of the incident.

In a statement, Jesse’s parents called him a “safe, careful and considerate driver.”

They said they convinced him that it was important not to drink and drive and that he had “never been a risk-taker or reckless in his life”.

Mr Griffiths was described as a “talented kickboxer” who “found his calling as a hairdresser”, while Mr Smith was described by his mother as a “talented boxer”.

The court was shown images from video surveillance cameras showing the teenagers leaving the workers’ club together, as well as images of the car in various places while it was moving.

Speaking after the inquest, Callum’s mother Natalie Griffiths described her son as a “gift”.

“We don’t believe there are words that can ever describe or explain what an incredible person Callum was and how much our love will continue to be,” she said.

“As a family, we received a life sentence. We can no longer hold our precious boy, make new memories and see his smile.”

She called for a limit on the number of passengers for new drivers, a other parents demanded changes after four teenagers died in an avoidable crash in Gwynedd.

“If we can help bring about these changes, we believe there will be no greater lasting legacy for our precious son,” she added.

Morgan’s aunt, Amy Smith, told the inquest it was “difficult” to relive her family’s tragedy.

“There will never be enough words to describe the pain we are going through and how much we miss our beautiful boy every day.

“There is nothing that can bring Morgan back to us, but we hope that this tragedy can serve as a lesson to other drivers to be more responsible before getting behind the wheel, as speed and alcohol kill.”