Wotton teenager died as a result of a "tragic accident"

Rory Evans, of Wotton, was killed when he collided with a van on the B4058 while driving his newly-bought convertible Toyota.

Gloucestershire Coroner’s Court, on Thursday, October 16, heard that Mr Evans had been speeding before the accident.

Mr Evans was driving on the B4058 between Wotton and Charfield when he lost control of the vehicle on a right-hand bend in the road.

Contributing factors to Mr Evans’ death included the damp conditions of the road and lack of familiarity with the vehicle, the inquest heard.

Senior coroner Katy Skerret also suggested that a small amount of cannabis found in Mr Evans’ blood may have also impaired his judgement.

Accident investigator PC Malcolm Shute told the inquest that the driver of the van came around a bend to see Rory’s silver Toyota MR2 Roadster in the wrong lane and that a collision could not be avoided.

PC Shute explained that witness statements said Rory had met some friends near the Memorial Hall in Charfield before driving off, followed by a friend in a BMW saloon.

In a statement read by the coroner, Rory’s mother Karen Binns said: “We are thankful that the collision didn’t cause serious harm to anyone else.

“We love and miss Rory every day and will try hard to get the speed limit on that stretch of road reduced as we could not live with ourselves if there were further serious accidents that cause so much distress.

“We had spoken to Rory about the dangers of driving a more powerful car and had agreed he could have the Toyota on condition that he booked a training session at the skid pan at Castle Coombe, but they were so busy that he hadn’t been able to book one until into the new year.”

Mr Evans’ parents set up a charity appeal in their son’s memory, Rory’s Well, which has raised funds for charity Alive and Well to dig wells for clean water in Sierra Leone.

The appeal has raised £21,000 so far. To make a donation visit justgiving.com/Roryswell.