Private ambulance driver killed in crash after drifting into path of lorry
A private ambulance driver died after drifting into the path of a lorry, an inquest has heard. Kevin Goldsmith, of Hawthorn Avenue in Sheerness, died on February 29 after a crash on the A251 Ashford Road, Faversham, near the M2 junction while on his way to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.
Tributes have flooded in for Kevin Goldsmith who died in a fatal crash near Faversham
Officers were called to the scene at 2.24pm after the Ford Transit van, driven by Mr Goldsmith, collided with a white DAF lorry travelling on the opposite side of the road. At his inquest today (September 13) at Oakwood House in Maidstone, coroner Katrina Hepburn read out a report submitted by forensic collision investigator Robert Yates.
He found the collision had occurred when the driver of the Ford "failed to negotiate" the left-hand bend and collided with the lorry. According to Mr Yates, the lorry driver Stuart Asshton "had little more than a second to respond before the collision itself". He said: "In my opinion his [Asshton's] action was prompt, and the collision was unavoidable and there is no evidence he was using a mobile phone at the time of the incident."
Kevin Goldsmith was a private ambulance driver
The passenger in the van was on his phone watching TikTok videos when he looked up and saw Mr Goldsmith's arm swerve to the left "really quickly" just before the crash.
He said Mr Goldsmith, who worked for Dignity Funeral Services in Sittingbourne, did not appear to be tired at the time and had been in a "good mood all day".
The report also said everyone was wearing seatbelts and the airbags inflated as they should have done. It said the lorry was travelling at around 23mph at the time of impact and based on the dash cam footage was "slowing before the impact occurred". The transit van was travelling at around 40mph when it crossed the central line of the single-carriageway.
Dash cam footage and CCTV from a nearby property were played to the court, showing the moment the private ambulance swerved into the path of the lorry.
The A251 in Faversham was blocked near the M2 junction following the crash
The police investigation concluded the primary cause of the incident was the driver of the vehicle Kevin Goldsmith and that the collision was completely unavoidable for the lorry driver. At the inquest Ms Hepburn said: "The Ford moved into the incoming carriageway and the impact was extensive. "I am satisfied there were no contributing issues with the road or any other reason for the vehicle to have moved over.
"I do not know what the reason was for the drift into the incoming carriageway."
She gave the medical cause of death as multiple injuries and concluded the most appropriate conclusion was "road traffic accident". In an emotional tribute shared with KentOnline[1], Mr Goldsmith's ex-wife and "best friend" Tracey Goldsmith said: "This man is just the best dad any kid could have. "Max and Maci are the luckiest kids to call him dad.
"He lived for our 'dynamic duo' as you all saw daily.
"Our world is absolutely shattered and I have no idea how to deal with life without my best mate here."
References
- ^ tribute shared with KentOnline (www.kentonline.co.uk)