Teen boy too young to drive killed after he crashed BMW into tree

A teenage boy, said to be 'obsessed with cars', died after he crashed a BMW into a tree.
Tributes left at the scene where a 16-year-old boy has died after the car he was driving left the road and hit a tree. The teenager was driving a blue BMW 318 SE in Burnley, Lancashire, when he tried to overtake another vehicle and lost control, police said. He suffered multiple injuries in the crash in Ridge Avenue at about 9.40pm on Thursday and died later at the Royal Blackburn hospital. 8 April 2016.Tributes left at the scene where a 16-year-old boy has died after the car he was driving left the road and hit a tree. The teenager was driving a blue BMW 318 SE in Burnley, Lancashire, when he tried to overtake another vehicle and lost control, police said. He suffered multiple injuries in the crash in Ridge Avenue at about 9.40pm on Thursday and died later at the Royal Blackburn hospital. 8 April 2016.
Tributes left at the scene where a 16-year-old boy has died after the car he was driving left the road and hit a tree. The teenager was driving a blue BMW 318 SE in Burnley, Lancashire, when he tried to overtake another vehicle and lost control, police said. He suffered multiple injuries in the crash in Ridge Avenue at about 9.40pm on Thursday and died later at the Royal Blackburn hospital. 8 April 2016.

Mohammed Toheed was just 16 when he attempted to overtake a Peugeot 107 in Ridge Avenue, Burnley, on the night of April 7th this year, and smashed into a tree at up to 50mph after swerving to avoid an oncoming car.

An inquest at Burnley Coroner’s Court heard how the Year 11 Marsden Heights pupil had developed a passion for cars while working at a car wash in Nelson.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

His sister Syeedy Nefasa told the hearing that her family had no idea that Mohammed, of Beaufort Street, Nelson, had the car on the night in question.

In a statement read out by Deputy East Lancashire Coroner Mr Mark Williams she said: “My brother enjoyed Playstations and mobile phones, he was always looking for the next upgrade.

“He was popular at school where he had a good circle of friends and was the class clown. He also enjoyed going to Exercise 4 Less in Burnley.

“He worked at a car wash in Nelson and following this became obsessed with cars. No one in the family had any idea about the BMW. We also found a logbook for a Nissan.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Police accident investigator, PC Robert Newcombe, told the inquest he estimated the BMW was travelling at up to 70mph when it attempted to overtake the Peugeot being driven by Lauren Doyle.

She told the hearing that she had braked when she saw the BMW approaching from behind because there was a Ford Mondeo travelling in the opposite direction.

Mr Joseph Whittaker, who was driving the Mondeo, said the BMW was driving erratically and that he had been forced to swerve to avoid hitting it head-on.

PC Newcombe said: “There were no defects with the BMW and the weather was dry at the time of the accident.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The driver of the BMW had steered harshly to his left to avoid the oncoming Mondeo and rotated 180 degrees in an anti-clockwise direction before hitting the tree on the driver’s side.

“The driver was wearing a seatbelt but the speed of impact on hitting the tree would have been between 40-50mph. He was too young to have a driving licence and was obviously too inexperienced to be driving.”

Pathologist Dr Richard Prescott, who conducted the post-mortem examination, said that Mohammed had suffered numerous impact injuries, including a fatal broken neck. Toxicology tests showed no trace of alcohol or drugs.

Mohammed died shortly afterwards in the Royal Blackburn Hospital.

Recording a conclusion of accidental death, the Deputy Coroner said: “As a result of his inexperience, Mohammed lost control of the car which tragically cost him his life.”