Inquest hears Chorley man died after stag party 'prank'
2:28pm Friday 29th January 2010 in News
Ray Higson with partner Zoe Williams
A Chorley man died after he fell from the back of a moving van he had climbed onto during stag party ‘high jinks’, an inquest has heard.
Father-of-one Ray Higson, 33, was out in Chorley town centre with a group of around 20 friends on August 8 last year when what friends described as a ‘practical joke’, went tragically wrong.
Mr Higson had sustained a fractured skull and traumatic brain injuries when he was found injured in the road on Southport Road near its junction with Sandringham Road.
At a hearing at Preston Coroner’s Court, Mr Higson’s friend of 20 years, David Cooper, 34, said the group had assembled at the Rose and Crown pub on St Thomas’ Road before enjoying a meal at the Parmesan and Pepper restaurant.
They later visited the Sir Henry Tate and The Imperial pubs before leaving the latter at around midnight.
Mr Cooper said: “We were walking along Union Street towards the White Hart pub, we were all in high spirits. I saw Ray set off running into the road and try to climb onto a white van which was going through the traffic lights at the junction with Market Street.”
Mr Higson, who had partner, Zoe Williams and an 11-year-old daughter, Jade, was seen holding onto the roof rack of the van as it turned into St Thomas’ Road.
The driver of Fiat Doblo van, Darren Orrell, who was traced four days after the incident, said he was unaware anyone was on his vehicle.
He had earlier been to a party in the Liptrott area of Chorley and had gone out in the van with two friends, Craig Duckworth and Rebecca Hansen to buy soft drinks.
They visited the Texaco petrol station on Preston Road, before returning through the town centre, along Union Street.
He said: “I had the radio on and was talking to Craig. I didn’t feel anything unusual about the journey at all.
He added: “There are no back windows or rear view mirrors on the box van, I rely on two side mirrors.”
One of the passengers, Rebecca Hansen, said: “I heard a bump on the side of the van. I couldn’t see out, it was a single noise and I didn’t think much of it at the time.”
PC Richard Roberts of the police accident investigation unit said he had led the inquiry and he had found no defects with the van, the road surface was good and the area well lit.
Dr Peter Dawson consultant neurologist at Royal Preston Hospital said a post-mortem examination had found Mr Higson had sustained significant and widespread damage to his skull and brain consistent with his head hitting the road.
A toxicology report showed Mr Higson had 184 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in his system, around two-and-a-half times the drink drive limit.
Recording a verdict of accidental death, Coroner Simon Jones told Mr Higson’s parents : “I am satisfied that the correct conclusion is that your son died an accidental death.
“The death of Raymond at such a young age is an appalling tragedy.”
