Swaffham man who died in A47 crash 'may have fallen asleep at wheel', inquest told

A Swaffham man who died after his car collided with two other vehicles may have fallen asleep at the wheel, a court has heard.

Robert Liggett, who was 69, suffered multiple injuries in the incident on the A47 last September.

Two other people, including a young child, suffered minor injuries in the incident.

An inquest held at Lynn’s magistrates court today was told that Mr Liggett had been driving west, towards Swaffham, when the crash happened at Scarning, near Dereham, on the evening of September 30, 2017.

His car had been seen drifting over the centre line into the opposite lane on a number of occasions over several miles prior to the crash.

A passenger in one vehicle that was following him became so concerned that he phoned the police, fearing Mr Liggett may have been drunk, the court was told.

And Emily Williamson, of Fakenham, whose car was the second to be struck in the incident, said it appeared that Mr Liggett had pulled out to overtake when there was no traffic there to move past.

But tests conducted after the crash proved negative for both alcohol and drugs.

Mr Liggett, who was a diabetic and had other medical conditions, was found not to be experiencing a hypoglycemic episode, caused by low blood sugar levels, at the time of the crash, and his GP reported there had been a significant improvement in control of his diabetes.

There was also no record of a mobile phone being used.

However, the court also heard Mr Liggett was known to have a poor sleep record, often having just three and a half hours sleep a night, and had been encouraged to have more.

Forensic collision investigator PC Paul McKay said it was “most likely” that a sleep-related incident had caused the initial impact, though an unspecified medical issue could also not be ruled out.

But it was unclear why Mr Liggett had not then tried to correct the path of his vehicle before the second impact, unless the first collision had rendered him unconscious.

Senior Norfolk coroner Jacqueline Lake concluded Mr Liggett died as a result of a road traffic collision.

She offered condolences to members of Mr Liggett’s family and thanked both witnesses who provided statements and a doctor who stopped to help at the scene.