WILLIAM Ainsworth’s friends recalled the moments after the crash in statements read out at his inquest.
Once the car stopped at 12.50am on September 30 2017, they noticed William had fallen unconscious, wasn’t breathing, and had no pulse. The driver, Hayden Barker, ran into the road to flag down a car for help, and a woman in a passing car stopped to assist them.
The police arrived at 1.04am and an ambulance arrived at 1.14am.
Officers who attended the scene remembered that Mr Barker put his wrists out towards them, as if he wanted to be handcuffed. He told them: “I’m an idiot, I’ve been drinking and I’ve ruined all our lives. I’ve killed my friend, it’s all my fault.”
Hayden said in a statement that he worked as a driver for the Royal Logistics Corps, had driven along that road many times before, including at night, and had not felt affected by the alcohol he’d consumed before the crash.
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