Inquest opens into Devon lorry crash tragedy
An inquest has been opened into the death of a 22-year old man[1] who died after the car he was driving collided with an HGV. The brief hearing was held on May 19 by senior coroner Philip Spinney at Exeter[2] County Hall, where the death of Connor Hobbs was noted. Mr Spinney said Connor was born in Exeter and resided at a property in Oakhays, South Molton.
At the time of his passing he was described at the hearing as working in traffic management. The inquest heard that on May 12 this year He was driving a car on an unclassified road at Kingsland Barton, South Molton. Mr Spinney said his car was in collision with an HGV.
At the time police confirmed the vehicles involved were a black Honda Civic and a brown Scania HGV. As a result the road was closed for several hours while an investigation by the Serious Collisions Unit was carried out. Police have appealed for witnesses to contact them with any information, quoting log 444 of 12/05/25.
Mr Spinney said that Connor was sadly sadly pronounced deceased at location. The medical cause of death given at this time was multiple injuries, pending toxicology tests. The senior coroner adjourned the hearing and a full inquest will take place at a later date.
Tributes to Connor were later shared by his family, saying: "The family and friends of Connor Hobbs are devastated by his tragic death on Monday, May 12 in the collision, a week short of his 23rd birthday. "We are grateful for the loving comments and pictures that have been shared of our lovely boy who held family and friends dear to his heart."
Join DevonLive on Whatsapp
Want the latest Devon breaking news and top stories first? Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp - all you need to do is click the link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZ3uVo2cbF15UPDIXLXRKn[3]
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.
If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice: https://bit.ly/41EZjzx[4]
References
- ^ death of a 22-year old man (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ Exeter (www.devonlive.com)
- ^ https://chat.whatsapp.com/EZ3uVo2cbF15UPDIXLXRKn (chat.whatsapp.com)
- ^ https://bit.ly/41EZjzx (bit.ly)