Victim of a drink and drugs crash (From Warrington Guardian)

Victim of a drink and drugs crash

A MAN was killed when a vehicle driven by a car salesman who had been drinking and had traces of drugs in his blood, hit him head-on.

Maxwell Walker's car - given to him as an 18th birthday present - ploughed head-on into the car of Robert Sleigh of Wistaston Road, killing both of them.

At an inquest on Friday, Cheshire Coroner Nicholas Rheinberg said Mr Walker, aged 20, could have been charged with manslaughter if he had survived.

"The substances found on analysis may perhaps have severely affected his judgement and driving skills," he said.

Witnesses described how Mr Walker drove on the wrong side of the road for about half a mile before the crash on November 1.

Mark Gibbons, 39, said the Citroen Saxo overtook him and stayed in that lane before swerving back to avoid an oncoming car.

But it then moved back out and remained on the wrong side of the A50 in Toft before colliding with Mr Sleigh's car.

"He was travelling fast," said Mr Gibbons. "My wife and I both commented 'What is he doing?' "

Police believe Mr Walker, of Legh Road, Knutsford, was travelling at more than 75mph.

Mr Sleigh, 59, had been on his way to Knutsford Little Theatre with his wife Ann.

At the inquest into the deaths of both men, Mrs Sleigh, a retired teacher, told the court she remembered seeing lights heading straight for their car.

"The last thing I can remember is saying to my husband 'Oh my God, he's going to hit us'," she said.

Mr Walker's car was catapulted into the air, landed on its roof and then burst into flames.

St John Ambulance volunteer Anne Morgan, 23, was driving behind Mr Sleigh when the crash happened.

She narrowly avoided both cars as she drove though dust and debris.

"I saw the Citroen Saxo fly up," she said. "I had visions of the car landing on me."

Ian Thomas, a teacher from Stratford-upon-Avon, stopped to help the victims when he saw the burning wreckage.

Firemen eventually freed Mrs Sleigh from the wreckage.

She was detained for days at Macclesfield General Hospital in a serious condition.

At Macclesfield Town Hall on Friday it emerged that Mr Walker could have been more than twice over the legal drink-drive limit.

Doctors also found evidence of recent cocaine and cannabis use.

His stepfather Bill Batley said he and his wife had not seen him on the day he died.

"We'd been out for the day shopping and we were still out when the accident occurred," he said.

"The evening before, he'd stayed out with friends apparently."

Mr Rheinberg found that Mr Walker died from multiple injuries and said there was no indication the collision was intentional but ruled that Mr Sleigh was unlawfully killed.