Three teenagers friends died when their car split in half after high-speed crash with bus

• ITV Wales' National Correspondent Rob Osborne reports from Pontypridd.

Three teenage friends were killed when the car they were travelling in split in half following a high-speed collision with a bus.

An inquest heard that 18-year-old Jesse Owen - who was over the drink drive limit and behind the wheel at the time - along with Morgan Smith, aged 18, and Callum Griffiths, aged 19, all died when they were thrown from the Audi A1 car.

Three others in the car survived the crash in Coedely in Rhondda Cynon Taf, which happened shortly after the group had attended a funeral.

The inquest at Pontypridd Coroner's Court held on 25 October heard that the car lost control around a bend and split in two after it collided with a bus at Elwyn Street, Coedely, Tonyrefail, on the evening of December 11, 2023.

Of the six passengers in the car, three died and two suffered serious injuries. Survivor Ellis Williams, who was in the front passenger seat at the time of the crash, escaped the vehicle with fewer injuries than Lucas Vaughan and Sam Griffiths who were taken to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff with life-threatening injuries but survived.

Post-mortem examinations carried out by Dr Stephen Leadbeatter advised Mr Owen suffered a blunt force injury to the head and chest, Mr Griffiths likely died from a blunt head injury, and Mr Smith died as a result of fractures to his face and neck.

A toxicology report was carried out by Dr Lawson at University Hospital Birmingham for Mr Owen. Dr Lawson said in Mr Owen’s blood he discovered the presence of ethanol (alcohol) at 113mg per decilitre in blood, indicating consumption of alcohol prior to death occurring. The drink drive limit is 80mg per decilitre.

The inquest heard from multiple officers from South Wales Police’s forensic collision investigation unit who concluded it was likely the vehicle had been travelling at between 50 and 55mph on the 20mph road when it hit the bus which was “stationary or almost stationary”.

The officers told coroner Graeme Hughes conditions on the night were dry and the road was damp, adding it was unlikely the teens’ deaths were contributed to by the condition of the road.

A number of witnesses who were at the roadside and saw the Audi vehicle travel past them told the inquest they felt the car was travelling too fast.

Martin Russell, who was running with his running club when he saw the Audi go down the road, said he was shocked by how fast the car was travelling. “The vehicle stood out as I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone drive that fast on that road,” he said. He said he asked other members of the running club whether they’d also noticed how fast the car was travelling.

Huw John said he was out walking his dog and was talking to his friend outside Coedely social club when his friend said: “Look at the f****** speed this car is travelling at”. "The car flew past us,” Mr John said. “Even though it was a small car you could hear the engine. I remember thinking: ‘Jesus Christ that car was driving too fast'.”

Passenger Mr Williams recalled the harrowing events on the night of December 11, saying he heard gasps of “woah” as the vehicle lost control around a bend before colliding with the bus. Mr Williams said he was sitting in the front passenger seat and he recalled the other four sitting in the back of the vehicle. He said the vehicle was too small for them all to be properly seated and the four in the back must have been on top of each other.

"Jesse drove past the primary school and past the Coedely pub,” Mr Williams said. “I thought he was going fast but I didn’t worry." But further into the journey he recalled: “I heard Sam say ‘woah’ before the bend. I looked to my right and I could see Jesse looked scared.” Mr Williams was the only person who was in the vehicle at the time who was able to provide evidence to the inquest.

CCTV footage played to the court from inside the bus showed the Audi spin around in the road, cross into the opposite lane and head towards the bus. The footage stopped before the crash happens.

The court heard it wasn’t possible to determine whether Mr Owen had been wearing his seatbelt, while evidence indicated seat belts had not been worn in the rear of the vehicle. Two seat belts were fitted to the rear of the vehicle because the Audi was designed for maximum occupancy of four people, meaning it is likely at least two people in the rear of the car at the time were not wearing seat belts.

PC Evans, who visited the scene after the crash, noted seat belts in the rear of the vehicle appeared in serviceable condition with no collision damage.

Coroner Mr Hughes was told that would suggest that the two passengers that were perhaps sitting on the seats themselves in the rear of the vehicle were also not wearing seat belts or didn’t have their seat belts in the “extended position”.

Mr Hughes concluded the trio died as a result of a road traffic collision. He said the effect of alcohol in Jesse’s blood was unlikely to have materially contributed to the collision.

Mr Hughes said he came to that determination based on Jesse’s manner when he left the Tonyrefail working men's club and on the basis that if the passengers in the car had felt Jesse was not in a fit state to drive they would have interfered.