A South Darenth car fanatic, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was twice over the blood alcohol limit when he fatally crashed his car in Sutton-at-Hone, an inquest heard.
James King, 26, was driving his Vauxhall Tigra when it collided into the back of a Mercedes in Dartford Road on June 14.
James King
Mr King’s car then dashed across a single carriageway and crashed into a viaduct wall.
He suffered multiple severe injuries and died at the scene.
The father-of-one, known as Cheno to his friends, also had traces of cocaine in his body after the crash.
The inquest at Gravesend Old Town Hall was told Mr King’s blood alcohol level was 173 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood – the legal limit is 80.
Accident investigating officer PC Mark Myers said it was likely that Mr King was the “cause” of the accident as he was speeding in a 30mph zone.
The inquest heard how Todor Petrov, driver of the Mercedes, was heading towards Dartford after picking up his daughter from work.
Scene of the crash in June
In a statement, read out by North West Kent coroner Roger Hatch, Mr Petrov said: “I felt someone hit the back of my car and I immediately looked at my daughter to see if she was ok.
“I managed to keep the steering wheel under control and my daughter was looking behind the car to see what was going on.
“I saw how the car moved across the kerb and its collision with the wall.
“It just happened so quickly which made me think that the driver was speeding.
Floral tributes
“I was holding my daughter so she wouldn’t be able to see the aftermath of the crash – she was very scared.”
The witness thought he had driven past Mr King’s car moments before the accident, where he saw him smoking and using his phone.
The engineer’s car caused extensive damage to Mr Petrov’s Mercedes.
A note left for Mr King
He and his 15-year-old daughter were treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Another witness, who saw the incident in his right wing mirror, told the coroner how he had seen a bollard fly up in the air due to the crash.
Paul Foster, of London Road, said he had not heard any sound of screeching or attempt to brake.
Mr King was a member of national car enthusiast group, Performance-UK and motorists paid tribute to him shortly after the accident.
Giving a verdict of road traffic collision, Mr Hatch offered his condolences to Mr King’s family.
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