A 32-year-old man who was not wearing a seatbelt in his car, died after colliding with a telegraph pole and hitting a substantial tree in Aston Crews, an inquest has heard.

Hereford Coroner’s Court was told that Jacob Neighbour, known as Jake, 32 of Winding Pool Close, Dymock had been travelling to work in his Toyota Yaris when he collided with a telegraph pole at around 6.21am on May 7, this year, on an unclassified road in Aston Crews, a road which runs parallel with the B4222, near the village of the Lea.

Pc Simon Carpenter, West Mercia Police’s forensic investigator told the inquest that Jake was pronounced dead at the scene.by paramedics.

PC Carpenter noted that Mr Neighbour was not wearing his seatbelt and said: “For reasons that remain unknown, his vehicle has left the road, firstly demolishing a wooden telegraph pole prior to striking a substantial tree, causing significant damage to his vehicle.

“He was travelling at 69mph, in excess of the speed limit.”

The inquest was told that the final four seconds before the collision, there had been no application of the brake pedal and Mr Neighbour had increased his speed from 59mph to 69mph.

PC Carpenter concluded: “The reason why he failed to negotiate the left-hand curve in the road, could not be established.

“Although Mr Neighbour was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision, it is unlikely that even if he had been wearing his seatbelt, it wouldn’t have made any difference to the outcome.”

Pathologist Dr Mark Hayes confirmed that in the postmortem the toxicology results showed no evidence of alcohol, drugs of any description in his system.

He added that there was no natural disease to explain Jake’s death after examining his heart.

Dr Hayes concluded that the medical cause of death as being multiple injuries due to trauma following a road traffic accident.

Mr Neighbour’s wife Alicia said that Jake would get up at around 5.30am and get ready for work at Abbey Scrap Cars in Cinderford, where he was employed as a lorry driver.

Alicia explained that she had gone to bed early the previous evening, when Jake kissed her on her forehead and after a short cuddle said goodnight to her.

“These are my last memories of Jake, she said.

Alicia explained that her husband was born with a medical condition concerning his heart and had undergone an operation to fix the problem, with no lasting effects.

She also had no concerns over his mental health or any behavioural issues that concerned her.

Alicia concluded: “Jake was a wonderful man. He was tall and handsome and a loving and supportive husband. He was loyal and hardworking and focused on his range of hobbies that he was passionate about. He loved growing produce in his allotment and loved his animals. He also enjoyed fishing and shooting.

“He was always focused on his ultimate ambition of being self-sufficient. Jake’s death was a complete shock, a tragedy.”

Coroner James Bennett said that he accepted the medical cause of death and noted that Mr Neighbour was not wearing a seatbelt.

He added: “And for reasons that remain unclear, Mr Neighbour failed to negotiate a gentle left-hand curve in the road before demolishing a telegraph pole before striking a substantial tree at 69mph.”

Coroner’s Conclusion: Road Traffic Collision.