Paul Jones: Motorist died of injuries 'he could not have survived'

A driver suffered unsurvivable injuries when he was hit head on by a diabetic man who was driving on the wrong side of the road, a coroner has concluded.

John Williams drove for four miles on the wrong side of the A55 in 2018, likely after a "hypoglycaemic event".

He hit the vehicle of Paul Jones, 40, between Llanfairfechan and Talybont.

Recording a narrative conclusion, coroner Katie Sutherland said it could not be determined how Mr Williams' hypoglycaemic event occurred.

Ms Sutherland said Mr Jones died of multiple injuries due to a road traffic collision that he could not have survived.

Mr Williams told the inquest he had no recollection of the incident.

Mr Jones, a product analyst, was described as a "focused, ambitious and a clever" single father by his family, who attended the inquest in Caernarfon.

Mr Williams, from Llanfair PG, said he had done his best and had been compliant in managing his diabetes since being diagnosed in about 1992.

He said he had been told by a doctor after the incident that he was at high risk to suffer a hypoglycaemic event without warning, as he was a long term diabetes patient.

Mr Williams said having no recollection of the incident that led to Mr Jones' death was frustrating.

On behalf of the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, barrister Sarah Sutherland said Mr Williams' medical records suggested he had an issue with hypoglycaemic events during the evenings.

Mr Williams explained how he kept sugar sweets on him and in convenient places in order to combat a hypoglycaemic event and said he would not drive if he was having a "hypo".

In trying to come to a conclusion as to why Mr Williams' glucose levels may have dipped on the night of the collision, the inquest heard how he had been building a shed in his garden which could have affected his blood sugar levels.

This was rejected by Mr Williams who said the shed building had happened over a sustained period of time and he had not undertaken strenuous work on the day of the crash.

North Wales Police collision investigator William Gordon Saynor described how both vehicles had "substantial damage to the front" following the head on collision in an unlit section of the A55.

He read accounts of witnesses who had also passed Mr Williams' Nissan travelling in the wrong direction.

He confirmed that Mr Williams had declared his diabetic condition to the DVLA which had issued his licence.

Dr Jonathan Bodansky, a consultant physician specialising in diabetes, said a number of factors such as activity, food intake and glucose control could have contributed to Mr Williams experiencing a hypoglycaemic event, but maintained he could not give a definitive answer.

"There are a number of unknowns on this day," he said.