Lord of the Rings fan died while on 'dream trip' to locations in the film
Joseph Snode's mum Elaine said their family are all massive Lord of the Rings fans, which is what drew him to New Zealand. She said: 'He wanted to visit the film sets, which was thrilling for him and for us to hear'
A Lord of the Rings fan was tragically killed in a car crash while hitchhiking to locations used in the films.
Joseph Snode, 26, from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, was in a vehicle on his way to Christchurch in New Zealand when the driver giving him a lift lost control and crashed into a wall, an inquest heard. The former film and photography student had graduated with a first class degree from the University of Buckingham in High Wycombe before taking a bar manager job at to fund the backpacking trip, which had included a trip to the Hobbiton set.
Explaining the circumstances of Mr Snode's death, Coroner Michelle Brown told Essex Coroner's Court he had been "offered a lift by a lady and her teenage children". The woman was driving on the Otira Highway, on New Zealand's South Island, when the crash happened near Jacksons railway station on January 28 last year.
Ms Brown said: "The car drifted to the left side of the road before overcorrecting, rotating and sliding across both lanes. The rear left of the car hit a stone wall. Mr Snode, who was in the left rear passenger seat, died at the scene."
Ms Brown said it was "unknown" how the driver, who was later sentenced after admitting a charge of the careless use of a vehicle causing death, came to crash the vehicle. She ruled Mr Snode died from multiple head and chest injuries in a road traffic collision.
Mr Snode's body was repatriated to the UK after a £10,000 fundraising campaign, which also covered the funeral costs. On the online campaign page, his mother, Elaine, wrote: "He was literally living his dream life before it was taken from him." She added her son was "always full of life and a loving, caring, intelligent young man" who she described as "one-in-a-billion".
Speaking at the time of her son's death, Elaine the family had been overwhelmed by the wealth of loving messages from across the world.
She said: "He was loved by lots of people which has been obvious from all the donations we've had so far. Every day we've been hearing from people that he's met and stayed in touch with. He had a passion for photography. This was one of the reasons why he wanted to travel; he wanted to do photography and filming as he went around the world.
"He was always full of smiles, he made friends with everyone that he met. He was planning on travelling after leaving uni, but then Covid reared its ugly head and stopped that. He worked through uni at the student union bar and was promoted. He worked very hard in that for four years saving money. He worked at festivals like Glastonbury and Reading. He was asked to do higher up positions each time; he ended up managing people. He again made so many friends there.
"A lot of people said he was the sort of person that would help them if they were struggling, any problems he was always there. He was so kind and considerate, he just had a lovely way about him. He never judged anyone, he accepted people for who they were and tried his best to get on with everyone."
Elaine said their family are all massive Lord of the Rings fans, which is what drew Joseph to New Zealand. She continued: "He wanted to visit the film sets, which was thrilling for him and for us to hear. He stayed with his friend, we were just constantly getting photos from him and stories about people he was meeting. He loved being with people but also loved being on his own; going for a long hike, pitching his tent and being on his own with nature."
"He loved music, he had different genres for different times that he liked to share. Travelling is something he wanted to do since quite a young age, he never wanted to settle down in one place, he liked to meet people. He had his backpack and tent and would go on a walk and go down to the park with friends."
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Scottish Sun
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The Sun
2 days ago
- The Sun
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If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans for free on 116123. 7 7 You're Not Alone EVERY 90 minutes in the UK a life is lost to suicide It doesn't discriminate, touching the lives of people in every corner of society – from the homeless and unemployed to builders and doctors, reality stars and footballers. It's the biggest killer of people under the age of 35, more deadly than cancer and car crashes. And men are three times more likely to take their own life than women. Yet it's rarely spoken of, a taboo that threatens to continue its deadly rampage unless we all stop and take notice, now. That is why The Sun launched the You're Not Alone campaign. The aim is that by sharing practical advice, raising awareness and breaking down the barriers people face when talking about their mental health, we can all do our bit to help save lives. Let's all vow to ask for help when we need it, and listen out for others… You're Not Alone. If you, or anyone you know, needs help dealing with mental health problems, the following organisations provide support: CALM, 0800 585 858 Heads Together, HUMEN Mind, 0300 123 3393 Papyrus, 0800 068 41 41 Samaritans, 116 123
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
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