Survivor recalls horrific crash that killed two friends

A teenage boy who miraculously survived a horrific road crash in Co Armagh that claimed the lives of two of his friends earlier this year has relived the accident at an inquest into their deaths.

Andrew Gass and Mark Hutcheson were both killed when the Vauxhall Astra they were in hit a tree on the Cladymilltown Road between Markethill and Newtownhamilton in January this year.

The two young boys from the Markethill area were lifelong friends, neighbours and were both students at Southern Regional College.

Paramedics and police who attended the scene described it as one of the worst they have ever seen.

On Tuesday, the Coroner’s Court at Armagh Courthouse heard evidence from the only survivor of the horrific crash, and the 17-year-old boy relived the moments leading up to the accident.

The boy, who was 16 at the time, was a back seat passenger.

Andrew, who was driving, had just passed his test 12 days before that and the 17-year-old survivor said he felt they were going fast.

He said he felt the car veer to the left and Andrew tried to correct it. The teenager said he could hear tyres squealing and knew they would hit the tree.

He told the court he closed his eyes and when he opened them he shouted “lads are you ok?”, but there was no reply.

All three boys had been heading to a skills competition at Portadown College.

A forensic scientist who investigated the crash scene said he believed the car was being driven between 50 and 53 miles per hour on the country road before the collision.

The coroner concluded by saying he wished all young drivers could come into this inquest and hear the words of the bereaved families, warning “speed kills, inattention kills”.

Both boys were passionate about farming and a tractor run will be held in their memory this weekend.

The coroner said that was a testament to the love the boys were held in and the tragic loss their families now live with.

Outside court, Mark's mother Ruth Hutcheson said: “Our families have been through a traumatic 10 months, Mark will always be in our thoughts.

“To help us move forward from this, our mission is to raise awareness of road safety. We would ask for privacy at this time to process the coroner’s findings.”