A DRIVER last week told how his teenage passengers remained silent when he called to them after a car crash.

David Atkinson, who was slumped over the steering wheel, said he listened for signs of life but got no response. "I shouted to see if everyone was okay," he said. "Nobody was answering."

David, now an apprentice mechanic, had been taking his friends home after a party.

But as he drove along a country road, the car careered off the road andcrashed into a tree.

Chle Kozyra, 16, of Mainwaring Road, Over Peover, was killed instantly.

Matthew Whittle, 18, of Denton Close, Winsford, died of his injuries in hospital.

Liam Hamilton spent two days in a coma and James Kettle was cut free from the wreckage by firemen.

At an inquest last week deputy Cheshire coroner Janet Napier was told how David had earlier left the party and gone home.

But he then got a call from his friends, who needed a lift, so he agreed to return to Holmes Chapel.

At about midnight David, of Woodford Lane, Winsford, met teenagers at the shopping precinct in Holmes Chapel.

"We just hung around while we organised who was going home in which car," he said.

About 30 minutes later David and four passengers set off towards Northwich.

Slumped

But he lost control of the car on a sharp bend at about 50mph and hit a tree.

On Wednesday afternoon David told an inquest he came round to find Matthew, who suffered multiple head injuries, slumped in the front passenger seat.

"I saw Matthew not in a very well state by the side of me," he said.

David called for an ambulance on his mobile phone from the car.

But after giving details of the crash he then lost consciousness again.

"The next thing I remember there were blue lights everywhere," he said.

Firemen and paramedics arrived at the scene at about 1.30am and began to free and treat the teenagers.

"I was just telling them to get everyone out besides me," said David.

"They ended up pulling the door off and pulling me out of the car. They were having to cut the roof off for Matthew so they wanted me out first."

David was taken to Leighton Hospital, Crewe, where doctors treated him for about two days.