Three young men who were involved in a head-on crash with a parked lorry in Westbury died as a result of head injuries, an inquest has heard today.

Passengers Jordan Taylor and Nathan Cox, both 20 and from Trowbridge, and the driver of the car, 18-year-old Chad McVeigh, from Westbury, died on the evening of December 5 last year after their silver Citroen Saxo collided with a parked articulated lorry on Quartermaster Road.

At the inquest in Salisbury today, senior coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon David Ridley heard that the men all had more than the legal limit of alcohol in their systems, while Jordan and Chad had cannabis in their systems, as they drove at speed on the West Wiltshire Trading Estate.

Chad and front seat passenger Jordan were wearing seatbelts, however, Nathan, who was sitting in the back of the car, was not.

It is believed they were travelling along the road in excess of 60mph and that Chad did attempt to brake but the alcohol and cannabis would have affected his judgement.

Collision investigator Sergeant Scott Hill said in evidence: “In my opinion, the three men died as a result of the impotence of Chad who was unable to effectively process the information to stop the car in time.

“If the car was travelling at 30mph and Chad reacted in the same way as he did then he would have stopped three meters short of the lorry and that is why speed is a factor of the collision.”

Mr Ridley has adjourned the inquest but is due to reveal his final verdict shortly.