A SPEEDING driver who was three times over the drink-drive limit and had recently taken cocaine ploughed into a lorry, killing himself and his passenger.

Witnesses estimated that Patrick O'Donoghue was racing along at 70mph seconds before the Mercedes E220 car he was driving crashed into the side of a Royal Mail lorry.

The force of the impact tore the cab from the lorry's chassis, an inquest heard yesterday.

Mr O'Donoghue, a gardener who lived in Bradley Road, Patchway, died at the scene.

His back-seat passenger James Tyrer, a 17-year-old Filton College student of Dragon Road, Winterbourne, suffered multiple injuries and died at Frenchay hospital later the same day. Neither was wearing a seat belt.

Two other passengers, Billy Connor and Patrick Tomkins, and lorry driver Christopher Gibson, were seriously injured in the crash, which happened on the B4057 Winterbourne Road at the junction with the B4427 Old Gloucester Road, near Stoke Gifford, at 2.25am on August 22 last year.

The inquest at Flax Bourton Coroner's Court heard that Mr O'Donoghue, who was 25, had 244 milligrams of alcohol in his blood.

The legal maximum is 80. Tests also revealed that he had recently taken cocaine.

Motorist Carly Austen, who saw the Mercedes seconds before the accident, said in a statement that it was going so fast it caused her car to wobble as it passed.

She estimated its speed at more than 70mph.

Royal Mail driver Mr Gibson suffered serious back and leg injuries and was off work for six months.

In a statement read at the hearing he said he was driving a 7.5 tonne mail lorry along Winterbourne Road with the intention of turning right into Old Gloucester Road, at a junction controlled by traffic lights.

He said he knew the road well and drove over pressure pads in the road surface and the lights changed from red to green.

"I was not aware of any vehicles approaching," he said.

"I don't know how far I got across the junction. There was no warning beforehand of the crash.

"I was thrown about inside the cab and the next thing I knew I was standing on the inside of the windscreen."

Mr Gibson managed to get out and fell onto the central reservation.

He used his mobile phone to alert the emergency services and nine police officers were on the scene within a short time, followed by paramedics and Avon Fire and Rescue officers.

The four men in the car were all badly injured and fire fighters had to cut the roof from the vehicle in order to free Mr O'Donoghue.

Accident investigator PC Philip Howells said that though the Mercedes had been very badly damaged in the crash, the passenger compartment was relatively intact and had the occupants been wearing seatbelts the outcome might not have been so tragic.

Coroner Tony Williams recorded narrative verdicts which stated that Mr O'Donoghue was driving the Mercedes when it was in collision with a DAF lorry crossing its path and that he was three times over the drink drive limit.

The verdict also stated that Mr O'Donoghue was driving in excess of the speed limit, failed to stop at a traffic light and was not wearing a seat belt.

Mr Williams said: "There are two messages that come from this – very obvious messages. Don't take alcohol and drugs and drive and do wear your seat belt."