Colchester footballer died after being hit by car on walk home

A teenage footballer was walking home from a 50th birthday party when he was struck by a car on a country road and died, an inquest heard.

Chayse West, 18, died from severe head injuries two days after the incident on the B1027 near Colchester in 2022.

Coroner Lincoln Brookes said he was most likely in the road because he was "tired and a little intoxicated".

Last year, the car driver was convicted of failing to stop at the scene of an accident and of failing to report it.

Mr West had left the birthday party at Rowhedge village hall with his friend Bobby Moore at about 04:10 GMT on 18 September 2022, Essex coroner's court heard.

Mr Moore said he was driving them both to his aunt's house in Colchester - where they planned to stay the night - but during the journey Mr West became "anxious" and wanted to walk to his home in Alresford instead.

His friend was "eight out of ten drunk", Mr Moore described.

Mr West was on the B1027 at Elmstead when he was struck by the car driven by 38-year-old Mr Shepherd at 05:10.

Mr Shepherd, a care worker on his way to work, told the inquest that he swerved his Vauxhall Grandland X after he spotted Mr West in the Colchester-bound carriageway about 10ft (3m) away.

The driver, from Point Clear near St Osyth, said he heard a "bang" sound but thought Mr West had punched his vehicle and so he did not want to stop his car in fear of being attacked.

Mr Shepherd, who was driving with dipped headlights, continued to Colchester where he picked up two colleagues and began his shift, the court heard.

Kevin Matthew, who worked for the Prime Care company, said the vehicle had a cracked windscreen and damage to its left fender when he was collected by Mr Shepherd.

He claimed Mr Shepherd asked him to sit in the back of the vehicle and that the driver "didn't want to talk about" the damage to his car.

The court was told that other motorists had seen Mr West walking along various roads.

It was "highly likely" Mr Shepherd would have heard multiple bumps when he struck Mr West, collision investigator PC Paul Andrews said.

He concluded that the driver should have re-evaluated his decision to drive off from the scene.

The inquest was told that Mr Shepherd was handed a 17-month suspended prison sentence in November, after he pleaded guilty to failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report an accident.

He also admitted driving while under the influence of cannabis when he handed himself in at Clacton-on-Sea police station on 19 September - and subsequently received a one-year driving ban.

In a statement read to the court earlier, Mr West's mother Leah said he was "the life and soul of the party".

"He was generous and he adored all his family - he wanted to make us happy," she said.

"We cannot put into words how horrendous these last 18 months have been. Every day I wake up with one eye open and ask if it has been a nightmare."

Corin Haines, chief executive of Colchester United Football in the Community, said shortly after his death that Mr West was "oozing [with] character and enthusiasm" and was "extremely tenacious and brave".

Mr West played at a competitive level, including for Alresford Colne Rangers FC in the Essex and Suffolk Border League, and with the Colchester United's Boys' Development Centre.

The coroner concluded that Mr West died as a result of a road traffic accident.

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