Man who died in Christmas Eve crash was not wearing seatbelt

A father-of-six who was killed on Christmas Eve was not wearing a seatbelt when he was thrown from a car as it crashed, an inquest heard.

Paul Benson, 53, from Lidlington, Bedfordshire was sat in the front passenger seat of the Ford Focus when it left the A421 at Marston Moretaine.

The car flew over a ditch and a hedge before landing in a field.

Ampthill Coroner's Court heard the driver may have been distracted, but no charges have been brought against him.

A paramedic who arrived on the scene at about 19:30 GMT found the driver of the car trying to resuscitate Mr Benson.

But despite efforts from emergency workers, Mr Benson was declared dead at the scene.

Bedfordshire assistant coroner Dr Sean Cummings was told he had died from multiple traumatic injuries.

Dr Cummings was told that had Mr Benson been wearing his seat belt, it was unlikely he would have been thrown from the car.

The inquest was told that no faults or defects had been found by police experts during an examination of the car, although the driver had reported it suddenly "behaving erratically" and losing power with the revs going up and down.

Dr Cummings concluded that Mr Benson had died as a result of a road traffic collision.

Shortly after his death, Mr Benson's family issued a statement saying: "Paul was a much-loved partner to Avril, and a father to six wonderful children.

"Paul was a true legend who had a positive impact on everyone's lives, and he will be missed by all."

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