An inquest has heard that a young couple who died in a crash near Appleby may have been distracted by a police vehicle that was following them shortly before the fatal incident.
Ryan Duffy, 24, from Wigan, and Ellie Marsden, 20, from Warrington, were found dead inside their van after it left the road and collided with a tree near Kings Meaburn in the early hours of September 5, 2021.
The couple had spent the evening socialising in Appleby, where they checked into a hotel and later visited the Hare & Hounds pub, before returning to their van after midnight.
Police Vehicle Seen Following the Couple
CCTV footage presented to the inquest jury showed the moment Duffy and Marsden left Appleby town centre, followed closely by a Cumbria Police vehicle. Further footage from a service station near the hamlet of Burrells captured the police vehicle continuing to follow the van close to the area where the crash occurred.
Crash Analysis: Speed, Intoxication and Distraction
Earlier evidence from Cumbria Police’s collision investigator, PS Steven Wakefield, concluded that the van was travelling at approximately 40mph when it left the road — below the national speed limit of 60mph, but likely close to the maximum safe speed for the bend where the crash happened.
PS Wakefield also noted signs of driver impairment, with toxicology reports confirming the presence of both drugs and alcohol in the driver’s system. He told the court that the most likely cause of the crash was “late steering that was inappropriate to the speed of the van,” due to either distraction or intoxication.
Police Presence a Possible Factor
During the inquest, PC Craig Stevensen was questioned by a lawyer representing Ryan Duffy’s family. He acknowledged that the couple’s awareness of being followed by a police car could have been a significant distraction and may have contributed to the incident.
It was also confirmed that the police vehicle ceased following the van around 170 yards before the crash site.
Inquest Ongoing
The inquest remains ongoing, with further evidence expected to be heard in the coming days as the court works to determine the full circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
The deaths of Ryan and Ellie have left two families devastated, and the inquest continues to explore the complex combination of factors that led to the fatal crash.
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