Teenage driver was 'speeding in convoy of cars just three days after passing his test when he crashed on mountain road' killing his girlfriend, best friend and a 68-year-old grandmother
- Rhodri Miller driving with girlfriend Alesha O'Connor and friend Corey Price
- The 17-year-olds collided with car on rural road in Brecon, South Wales
- Grandmother Margaret Challis, 68, also died in the mountain road crash
- Rhodri was driving at up to 75mph in his VW Golf, an inquest heard today
- He was driving in a convoy of his four friends' cars along the rural road
- Acting Powys Coroner Andrew Barclay blamed driver error by Rhodri and recorded a narrative verdict that all four died in a road traffic collision
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A teenage driver who killed four people just three days after his driving test was speeding in a convoy of cars on the mountain road, an inquest heard today.
A-level pupil Rhodri Miller, 17, died at the wheel next to his girlfriend and best friend in the head-on crash with another car, which was bringing a grandmother home from a night at the theatre.
The hearing was told that Rhodri was driving at up to 75mph in his VW Golf in a convoy of his four friends' cars along the rural road.
But others in the convoy urged him to slow down because of his inexperience driving on 'extremely challenging' roads at night.
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A-level pupil Rhodri Miller (left), 17, died at the wheel next to his girlfriend Alesha O'Connor (right) and best friend Corey Price in the head-on crash with another car, which was bringing a grandmother home from a night at the theatre
Mrs Margaret Challis (left), of Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales, died from multiple injuries in hospital after the crash in March of last year. A minute's applause was held for talented footballer Corey (right) at Cardiff City's home match against Charlton last month
Grade A student Rhodri lost control on a bend - and tragically hit a car coming in the opposite direction.
Rhodri and Corey, both pupils at Bro Morgannwg High School in Barry, South Wales, were killed almost immediately in the collision. Corey was a promising football player with the Cardiff City Academy.
Alesha, who attended St Richard Gwyn Roman Catholic High School in Barry, and grandmother Margaret Challis, 68,, from Merthyr Tydfil, were rushed to hospital but died of their injuries there.
Friend Rhys Hunter survived the horror crash - and told how Rhodri was driving 'a bit fast and speeding' in the crash, which took place at 10.15pm at night in March of last year.
Rhys suffered a broken leg and had surgery to have the bones put back in position.
Rhys, now 18, admitted his friend at been at about 70mph near the bend in the road and said he had simply 'lost control'.
Friend Rhys Hunter survived the horror crash - and told how Rhodri was driving 'a bit fast and speeding' in the crash, which took place at 10.15pm at night in March of last year
He said: 'We knew Rhodri had only been driving for a short amount of time. He was going a bit fast and speeding.
'He was a new driver so he wasn't as stable as an experienced driver would be. But no one said anything about it.
'He lost control on the bend. We were travelling about 70mph. I guess it was because of the way he was driving.'
The friends had driven from Barry, South Wales, through the Brecon Beacons (pictured: Alesha and Rhodri)
A photo taken of the car in front by Rhys 25 minutes before the crash showed Rhodri's car had been travelling at 75mph (pictured: the scene of the collision)
The friends had driven from Barry, South Wales, through the Brecon Beacons.
The mountain pass road reaches 1600ft as it goes through Storey Arms, the main access point for the climb to Penyfan, the highest mountain in the Brecon Beacons.
A photo taken of the car in front by Rhys 25 minutes before the crash showed Rhodri's car had been travelling at 75mph.
Asked by coroner Andrew Barkley if he'd taken the photo because the cars were racing, he said: 'No. I just thought it would be cool.'
Teenagers in the convoy said they were not racing but Rhodri was trying to keep up with the lead car.
Daniel Bennett, 18, also survived the crash in Rhodri's car - and said he too thought his friend was going 'too fast' (pictured left: Alesha, and right: Rhodri)
Hospital consultant Victoria Goodwin, who tended the casualties, said the accident on the A470 happened at an accident blackspot called Storey Arms.
She told the hearing: 'As soon as I hear Storey Arms and trauma I know it's going to be bad.'
As soon as I hear Storey Arms and trauma I know it's going to be bad
Hospital consultant Victoria Goodwin, who tended the casualties
Crash investigator PC David Stacey told the inquest: 'Rhodri approached the bend at too fast a speed for his driving ability on that night.
It was driver error and the impact has led to the tragic loss of four lives.'
'It was a very very quick collision. It was over in a split second.
'It would have been very very difficult to regain control of the vehicle.'
PC Stacey said Rhodri would have been fighting with the steering to regain control of the car which was 'fishtailing' because of the extra weight of three people in the back seat.
Seven of the drivers in the convoy were arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving but no one was charged in connection with the accident.
Today, acting Powys Coroner Andrew Barclay blamed driver error by Rhodri and recorded a narrative verdict that all four died in a road traffic collision.
Mrs Challis (pictured) was being driven home from the theatre by her friend Emlyn Williams, who survived but suffered injuries to his spine, ribs and left leg
Daniel Bennett, 18, also survived the crash in Rhodri's car - and said he too thought his friend was going 'too fast'.
The inquest in Aberdare continues. Pictured: Alesha
But Daniel didn't feel as though he could tell his friend to slow down.
'I didn't want to be a party pooper,' he told the inquest.
'I trusted Rhodri's driving - it was a safe speed but fast.'
In an interview last summer, Daniel said: 'It feels so different without them.
'My memories of them keep going over in my head and without them those memories wouldn't have been so special. It just doesn't seem real.
'I think it will take a while to accept they have gone and to be able to realise how it has affected my life.
'Just a week before the accident they all celebrated my 17th birthday with me. It hasn't sunk in.'
Daniel's mother Lucy also spoke about the night when she was left without knowing whether her son had lost his life as well.
She said she is devastated for the families whose children didn't make it home.
Lucy, 42, said: 'It was awful, I just had a feeling that something wasn't right and I told Dan and Corey not to go.
'Later that evening, I had a phone call that was every parent's worst nightmare.
'One of Dan's friends was in absolute panic and he told me there had been a crash with fatalities and I should ring the police.
'I was in shock and it was hard trying to get information, but the police established somebody had been taken to hospital but they didn't know their name.'
Mr Williams told the inquest he was driving towards the convoy when the VW Golf driven by Rhodri suddenly swerved into his lane about 15 metres in front of him (pictured: the scene of the crash)
Mrs Challis was being driven home from the theatre by her friend Emlyn Williams, who survived but suffered injuries to his spine, ribs and left leg.
It's a tragedy. I feel sorry for all the families. The kids were in the wrong place at the wrong time
Emlyn Williams, a friend of Mrs Challis
Mr Williams told the inquest he was driving towards the convoy when the VW Golf driven by Rhodri suddenly swerved into his lane about 15 metres in front of him.
Mr Williams said: 'I saw a car coming towards the bend and then I saw another car overtaking it. The car hit me and that was it.
'There was no opportunity for me to swerve out of the way.
'The car windows smashed in and we were hit into the lay-by.
I got out in a daze and tried to get Margaret out. It was dead silent.'
Mr Williams added: 'It's a tragedy. I feel sorry for all the families. The kids were in the wrong place at the wrong time.'
Next door neighbour Mandy Driscoll described Mrs Challis as 'such a lovely woman'.
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