A WINSFORD man was killed 'instantly' when he lost control of his car and hit a tree after overtaking two vehicles at once on a country lane, an inquest heard.

Jamie Lee, of Woodford Lane, was driving along the B5132 towards Great Barrow, near Ellesmere Port, on December 8, 2023, when his powerful Volkswagen Golf span off the road taking a sharp right-hand bend at more than 50mph.

A witness in one of the vehicles said he could hear the 27-year-old’s Golf accelerating as it approached from behind, and its headlights ‘rapidly getting closer’ in his rear-view mirror.

At no point did he see brake lights as the Golf went around the corner, adding Jamie was ‘driving far too quickly for the road’ and ‘tried to correct excessive oversteer’ on the bend, but failed, and lost control.

The Golf smashed into a tree, causing damage to the driver’s side which meant Jamie had to be cut free by firefighters, causing a long delay before paramedics could perform CPR. 

At an inquest hearing at Cheshire Coroner’s Court on Thursday, June 13, assistant coroner, Charlotte Keighley, read a statement from consultant pathologist, Dr David Butterworth.

He confirmed Jamie would have died ‘almost instantly’ from his injuries.

Jaime, 27, was about to set off an a five-week holiday of a lifetime to ThailandJamie, 27, was about to set off an a five-week holiday of a lifetime to Thailand (Image: Cheshire Police)

Dr Butterworth added a post-mortem toxicology report revealed the presence of cocaine metabolites ‘at a medium level’ in Jamie's blood.

This confirmed he’d used the drug some time before the crash, though it was not possible to determine when, meaning the doctor could not rule it out as a contributing factor to his death.

The court also heard from a police forensic collision expert who found no evidence of any mechanical failure which might have led to the crash, but was able to confirm Jamie’s car had been driven faster than the 50mph speed limit.

In a statement read to the court, Jamie’s dad, Mark Lee, said he and Jamie were ‘very close’, and ‘spoke about anything and everything’.

He said Jamie passed his driving test at 17 and ‘loved to drive’ and ‘had a real passion for cars’, spending lots of time and money on his hobby.

His work as a welder and metal fabricator took him all over the country, he and was about to set off on a five-week holiday of a lifetime to to Thailand with friends.

He said his son had ‘a strong work ethic’, and was ‘outgoing and always full of life’.

After hearing all the evidence, Ms Keighley recorded his cause of death as a road traffic collision, and a medical cause of death of ‘multiple injuries’.

She said no other factor contributed to the accident, and confirmed no charges against anyone else would follow.

She added: "I would like to thank Jamie’s family for the dignity with which they have conducted themselves throughout a process which can only be described as heartbreaking.  

“My sincerest condolences to you all.”