Royal Navy chief petty officer died in M275 flyover crash after speeding in Vauxhall Astra that was 'not roadworthy'

A ‘POPULAR’ Royal Navy engineer died in a car that had been modified to increase speed when he hit a barrier on the M275 flyover before plummeting onto the road below, an inquest heard.
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Royal Navy Chief Petty Officer Keith Ross from Lee-on-the-Solent died at the scene following the accident northbound on the stretch on July 15 last year near the park and ride junction at Tipner.

His passenger Harry Malbon, who survived, said he thought the car was traveling at 150mph before the crash.

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The father-of-five, 40, was travelling in his Vauxhall Astra with fellow marine engineer Mr Malbon after the pair had been involved in ‘banter’ about who had the fastest car at Portsmouth Naval Base around 8am. Mr Ross suggested they ‘went for a spin’ when tragedy struck.

Police at the accident in July 
Picture: Habibur RahmanPolice at the accident in July 
Picture: Habibur Rahman
Police at the accident in July Picture: Habibur Rahman

Mr Malbon, 23, who was in the passenger seat, said Mr Ross, nicknamed Paddy, was driving ‘fine’ and within the speed limit while in the naval base and initially when out on the public roads.

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But after going past the speed camera on the M275 in the outside lane, Mr Ross accelerated. In his statement, read out to the court, Mr Malbon, who was left with minor injuries from the crash, said: ‘Paddy suddenly floored it. It was like I was in a rollercoaster. I was speechless.’

Mr Malbon looked over at the speedometer and noticed the car was travelling at 100mph. ‘I didn’t say anything to Paddy,’ he said, before noticing the speed had increased to 150mph and that ‘Paddy was not wearing a seatbelt’.

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‘Paddy started to lose control and the car was fishtailing,’ he said. ‘Paddy tried to control the car. He was steering right and left.’

The witness then recalled the car collided with the near side crash barrier - which the pair went ‘straight through’ - before falling below.

After the car came to a standstill, Mr Malbon looked for his friend. ‘Paddy was not in the driver’s seat,’ he said. ‘I looked to my left and could see Paddy. He was unresponsive on the road groaning.’

Mr Malbon confirmed there were no other vehicles involved and driving conditions were good.

He added: ‘I put the crash down to excessive speed.’

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The inquest heard how bystanders and then paramedics arrived at the scene after the crash at 9.40am before Mr Ross was pronounced dead at 10.24am.

Other drivers travelling on the M275 northbound said they were ‘shocked’ at the speed the Astra was travelling. ‘I was shocked at how quickly the car was going,’ motorist Steven Young said in his statement.

He said the Astra was going ‘far in excess of the speed limit’ before ‘spinning across the carriageway’ before it then ‘disappeared and went out of sight’.

Jake Robinson, who was the first paramedic on scene to treat Mr Ross, said in his statement: ‘(Mr Ross) was pale and not breathing. There was no pulse present and he was in cardiac arrest.’

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Chest compressions were carried out and a defibrillator applied to try and save Mr Ross.

Pathologist Dr Adnan Al-Badri, who carried out the post mortem, said Mr Ross suffered a skull fracture and fractures to the right arm, pelvis and ribs.

There were also lacerations and bruises to the lungs and liver.

No alcohol or drugs were found in Mr Ross’ body.

The inquest heard from vehicle examiner Benjamin Fisher who said the Astra had been modified to increase its speed.

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The catalytic converter had been removed and a decat downpipe which are ‘dedicated to race circuits’ was installed.

Due to this alteration the car was ‘unroadworthy’ and ‘should not have been driven on a public road’.

In total, he identified seven moderations to the car - including suspension, short-shift gears and wheels and the likely alteration of the vehicle management system.

He confirmed in his statement these were to ‘provide more power’ and would likely have made the car ‘more difficult to control in acceleration’.

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Coroner Jason Pegg, who recorded a verdict of misadventure, said: ‘The reason why there were modifications were to enhance the performance of the vehicle and make it go faster.

‘It was unfit for use on a public road. It should not have been on a public road.’

He added: ‘Keith Ross chose to drive the car the way he did. (His death) was an unintended consequence of the speed he was driving.’

Keith joined the Royal Navy in 1998 as a Marine Engineer (Able Rating Second Class) and served on HMS Illustrious, HMS Liverpool, HMS Southampton, HMS Kent, HMS Brocklesby during his career before joining MCM2 Crew 7 in April 2020, to support the upgrade to Hunt Class Minehunter HMS Hurworth.

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The coroner, speaking of Mr Ross, said: ‘He was a devoted family man and was a very popular colleague and shipmate and there is a deep sense of loss.’

Wife Sarah described her husband, originally from County Down in Northern Ireland, as a ‘lovable rogue who was great fun to be around and was the life and soul of the party’.

The ‘hardworking’ family man who loved fixing cars would always ‘help people whose cars had broken down’.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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