A FATHER-OF-FOUR from Winsford died when he crashed into a tree after losing control of his car on the A5032 Whitby Road at Backford, an inquest has heard.

Craig Felton, 34, who was living in Bowling Green Court, Northwich, died when his car left the road near the Strawberry roundabout in Whitby Lane at 10.20am on Sunday, August 24.

On Tuesday, June 9, Warrington Coroner’s Court heard how Craig, who was brought up in Winsford, was returning from a weekend at his long-time friend’s home, Michelle Mellen in Ellesmere Port.

Holding back tears, Ms Mellen said: “He collected his bag and set off from my house just after 10pm.

“I had just got a new phone on Saturday so it was on charge. I text him asking him to let me know when he had got home, and he replied almost straight away.

“Then I never heard anything after that. I found out what had happened the next morning.”

PC Stephen Binns, from the collision and investigation unit, called the incident an ‘unrecoverable steering event’ caused by a deflated tire after Mr Felton had hit a curb.

“It is very difficult to retain control or regain it once you lose control,” PC Binns said.

He added: “As the Peugeot went towards the top of the embankment, it collided with a substantial tree, crushing the roof to seat level.”

The coroner read a witness statement from Craig Smith, who was unable to attend the inquest.

In his statement, Mr Smith, who had visited the Vue Cinema at Cheshire Oaks with his brother and friend, said he was travelling down the A5032 Whitby Road on the night of the incident.

He said Mr Felton’s car, which he estimated was travelling at around 60mph, overtook him. The road is a national speed limit.

Mr Smith said he saw sparks coming from one of the Peugeot’s wheels as it drifted across the road.

“It all happened in a blink of an eye,” the statement said.

He continued: “I was shocked by what I saw. The car was lying face down in a ditch.”

A toxicology report confirmed there were no drugs or alcohol in Mr Felton’s body at the time of death.

Assistant coroner for Cheshire, Dr Janet Elizabeth Napier, concluded: “The cause of death is that of multiple injuries due to a road traffic collision.”