A driver who died in a head-on crash was not wearing a seatbelt, an inquest has heard.

Grant Woollard, 27, was pronounced dead at the scene after his purple Ford Fiesta veered onto the wrong carriageway near Matalan in Ashford, hitting a Volvo XC90.

An inquest into his death at the Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone today heard the John Amoore Lane resident - who had a low level of butane gas in his system - sustained multiple injuries in the crash in Chart Road.

The accident - which left the driver of the Volvo with minor injuries - happened at about 9.30pm on December 14 last year.

Answering questions from assistant coroner Sonia Hayes at the hearing, forensic collision investigator Kirsten Heath said: "Given the location in which the vehicles came to rest and the main debris field, it became apparent the whole collision took place in the east-bound lane, so it was the correct lane for the Volvo but the incorrect lane for Grant.

"It wasn't possible to determine with certainty the speed of either vehicle but witnesses have said that neither vehicle was speeding.

"It was a clear road and in this area it's genuinely straight - there doesn't appear to have been any other traffic at the time."

'It's a warning to all of us of the importance of wearing a seatbelt, in that it could save your life...' - assistant coroner Sonia Hayes

Ms Heath further confirmed no evidence was found confirming why Mr Woollard, who worked as a vape technician, had swerved into oncoming traffic, for example dead animals or markings indicating a clipped kerb.

A toxicology report confirmed there was a minimal amount of alcohol in his blood at the time and there was also a low presence of butane gas found in his body.

This finding was supported by physical evidence, namely the discovery of open butane cans in the Fiesta with dispensing straws attached.

While this may have affected his driving, the weight of evidence suggests that the true cause of his death was due to Mr Woollard not wearing a seatbelt.

The coroner asked Ms Heath: "Passengers in the other vehicles were wearing seatbelts and suffered only minor injuries.

"If he'd been wearing his seatbelt, would it have been a similar outcome for him?"

Though Ms Heath stated it was impossible to say, the coroner found injuries in the post mortem report suggested it was the key factor.

Summing up, Ms Hayes said: "There were no other vehicles at the time travelling in front of Grant and there was no apparent reason that his car appeared to veer into the opposite carriageway into the path of the oncoming car.

"Both vehicles were examined, and were mechanically sound.

"We have this situation where a substance, butane, was found in the car. We know for certain that Grant had ingested butane because it was found in a low level in his body.

'It may well be that if Grant had his seatbelt on, he would've survived this accident...' - Ms Heath

"We don't know the exact level he ingested, but what we do know is that it can have an impairment on the ability to drive.

"There's no evidence to suggest at the time that he was suicidal. I'm not satisfied that Grant intended to take his own life, and there's no evidence that he intended to do this.

"We may have no idea why he decided to do this, it may be that this is something he'd done before without incident.

"It may well be that if Grant had his seatbelt on, he would've survived this accident.

"It's a warning to all of us of the importance of wearing a seatbelt, in that it could save your life."

Noting the low level of substances in Mr Woollard's body, Ms Hayes did not put them down as the medical cause of death, and instead decided on multiple injuries.

She concluded: "Butane gas is likely to have impaired his judgement and his omission of wearing a seatbelt contributed to the accident."

In a statement released after the inquest, his family said: "Grant was a much loved son, brother and friend. He was a kind, fun loving family man who was easy going and loved by all. We all truly miss him and his presence.

"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the emergency services for all they tried to do at the scene to save Grant’s life, knowing that he died peacefully brings us great comfort. In addition we would like to send our thoughts to all others involved in the accident.

"We would also like to thank our family liaison officers and the investigation team for all they have done and their compassionate and professional approach at a very difficult time for us all."

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