Market Drayton: Soldier 'drank ten lagers' before fatal A53 crash

BBC News

20-02-2025

A soldier who died when the car he was driving crashed into another vehicle, killing its driver, had drunk ten lagers plus shots of Sambuca before getting behind the wheel, an inquest heard.Witness statements revealed 27-year-old Lance Corporal Adam Milton, from Ballyclare in Northern Ireland, was more than three times the legal alcohol limit when he crashed on the A53 near Market Drayton in Shropshire last year.A forensic crash investigator estimated Mr Milton had been travelling at more than 100 miles an hour, and said he was "wholly responsible" for the events.The other man killed was Wayne Neville, a 42-year-old father-of-two from Market Drayton. He too died at the scene.
Mr Milton served with the Royal Irish Regiment and was based at Clive Barracks in Tern Hill, Shropshire.A passenger in his car on the night in question, Mervin Young, was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. He was an infantry soldier who lived in the same corridor as Mr Milton at Clive Barracks, and provided to the hearing details of their intoxication.He said the pair started drinking at about 19:00 BST on 6 September, and estimated that they had consumed "about ten lagers each" and "shots of Sambuca from the bottle".He told the court he could not "remember getting into the car with Adam", and aside from momentary memories of his "good friend" driving, he could not "recall anything else until [he] woke up in hospital".Mr Young apologised to the families of both men for not being able to remember more.
The inquest heard the two cars - a silver Volkswagen Passat driven by Mr Milton, and a Nissan Almira driven by Mr Neville - crashed head on at 23:57 BST that day. The busy stretch of the A53 where the crash happened, between the Tern Hill and Muller roundabouts, has a speed limit of 60mph.A toxicology report for Mr Milton - a father of two - stated his blood alcohol content was 260mg/dl, with the legal limit being 80mg/dl.Forensic pathologists determined his primary cause of death to be "multiple traumatic injuries", with "acute alcohol intoxication" a secondary cause.Mr Neville's cause of death was confirmed to be "multiple traumatic injuries".
Another witness, farmer David Swinnerton, told the inquest he was travelling on the A41 between Newport and Tern Hill when Mr Milton's silver Volkswagen Passat overtook him, cutting in behind the car in front "at speed".Mr Swinnerton remarked that he "was amazed [the Volkswagen] didn't hit the car", and noticed the vehicle doing another overtake up ahead.
Anthony Higginson, his sister Louise Taylor, and their father were dropping off family in Market Drayton when they encountered Mr Milton's car, the court heard."Behind me I could hear the squealing of tyres," Mr Higginson recalled, adding that he saw the Volkswagen "hit the grass verge" as it overtook them."I remember saying out loud 'look at this idiot'," he added.Ms Taylor said she remembered thinking that it was "an accident waiting to happen", as the driver "didn't seem to have control".Mr Higginson added that after a short time, he heard "a loud bang", soon encountering "debris and glass on the road".Discovering the crash, the family then called the emergency services.
A forensic collision investigator for West Mercia Police stated that both cars' speedometers were frozen by the crash, meaning the speed at which they were travelling could be estimated.Mr Neville was travelling between 30 and 35mph, he said, while Mr Milton was driving at a speed of between 102 and 104mph.The court heard that examinations found Mr Neville had applied his car's brakes, but Mr Milton had not.The investigator concluded that Mr Milton's Volkswagen "made no attempt to avoid collision", which occurred due to a "combination of excess alcohol, excess speed, and the Volkswagen being on the wrong side of the road"."The driver of the Volkswagen [Mr Milton] was wholly responsible for the collision," he stated.
Speaking to Mr Neville's family and friends - ten of whom had packed out the small court room - the coroner said it was "a testament to Wayne that you are all here".In September 2024, Mrs Neville paid tribute to her husband - known as "Nevdog" to those close to him."Our hearts are broken, and we all miss him terribly," she said, adding that "he was a loving and devoted husband, a thoughtful brother and son, and an amazing and caring father to Morgan and Ruby.""I love you more, the end, I win - your Mrs Nevdog."
Concluding the proceedings, coroner John Ellery recorded that both men had died due to a road traffic collision.Mr Ellery acknowledged that while his "role isn't to apportion blame", he agreed with investigators' statements that Mr Milton was "wholly responsible" for the crash.
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