Tragic Accident Results in Two Deaths on Lincolnshire's A16
A tragic road accident on the A16 at North Thoresby has claimed the lives of two drivers, both the mother of five from Grimsby, Mikah Chandler, and Graham Ross from Newcastle. The unfortunate encounter happened on April 2023, as described in an inquest.
Drugs Found in the System of One of the Victims
Coroner Paul Cooper revealed that Mikah Chandler, 45, had a lethal amount of heroin in her system at the time of her death. She additionally had cocaine, pregabalin, and diazepam in her system. The presence of these substances indicated a severe violation of safe driving practices.
"All those substances should not have been in her system as she drove. Mr Ross was the most unlucky man on this road in the wrong place at the wrong time on this day." stated Mr Cooper.
Circumstances of the Accident
According to dashcam footage from Mr Ross's van, Ms Chandler's car was seen pulling out from behind a Ford Kuga into the path of Ross's van. A forensic collision investigation report confirmed that Mr Ross would have only had about a second to react.
The inquest concluded that there was nothing Mr Ross could have done to avoid the collision. Multiple witnesses testified to Chandler's reckless and dangerous driving on that day.
Mental Health and Substance Abuse History
Prior to the accident, Ms Chandler received several treatments for anxiety, bipolar disorder and psychotic episodes from the support group We Are With You in Grimsby, formerly known as AddAction. However, she missed an appointment with a recovery worker in February and discontinued her engagement with mental health agency Navigo.
Pleas for Road Safety
Coroner Paul Cooper gave his condolences to the family of Mr Ross and the mother of Mikah Chandler. Describing the incident as a tragedy, he stressed the importance of road safety ethics and sober driving.
Finally, although authorities had been alerted about Chandler's dangerous driving just four minutes before the crash, it remains unclear whether any police response was initiated.