Son, 7, begged drink-driver in 90mph death crash to brake

Trevor McCabe, 52, was more than three times the drink-drive limit when he lost control of his black Volkswagen Golf on the B1222 between Sherburn in Elmet and Cawood, in North Yorkshire.

Witnesses claimed to have seen Mr McCabe laughing and shaking the steering wheel from side to side shortly before the car swerved into the wrong lane, colliding head-on with a black Honda CRV.

Full details of the tragedy emerged yesterday at an inquest at Selby Magistrates’ Court, heard on the day the Government launched its Christmas drink-drive campaign.

Coroner Rob Turnbull was told toxicology tests on Mr McCabe’s body suggested he had drunk the equivalent of 10 pints of beer or 20 tots of whisky.

The scaffolder, from Hambleton, Selby, was seen to have drunk at least one can of cider at home and three pints of beer in a pub in Sherburn in Elmet in the hours before the crash on August 12.

But police told the hearing they could not rule out the possibility Mr McCabe had been to other pubs before he set off on the journey home with his seven-year-old son in the front passenger seat. The inquest heard a statement from the driver of the Honda, David Topping, who was too badly hurt to attend the hearing.

Mr Topping said he and two friends were on their way to Leeds to watch a rugby league match when the collision happened at about 5.45pm.

He described the Volkswagen travelling at a speed of at least 80mph on the wrong side of the road.

“All I remember is seeing it out of control and then the bang” he said. “I don’t even remember having time to brake.”

Mr Topping suffered injuries to both legs, including a broken right thighbone and kneecap, and two of his fingers were broken.

He said doctors had estimated it would be at least three months before he was able to walk again.

The inquest heard that Mr McCabe’s son had suffered two broken legs as well as chest injuries.

Karen Leeder, who went to the scene to offer first aid, said in a statement that she found the boy screaming, trapped in the car with his hand on his father’s body.

“He did say to me that he had asked his dad to slow down because he had been driving too fast,” Ms Leeder said.

“He also said that they had been to the pub... I do remember smelling alcohol.”

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Turnbull said Mr McCabe had been known to drink and drive in the past and it was fortunate more people were not killed.

He added that it was “not unreasonable” to suggest that Mr McCabe had been travelling at 80mph or 90mph.

“I am satisfied in my mind that this collision happened entirely as a consequence of Mr McCabe’s driving and the amount of drink that he had consumed prior to getting into the vehicle,” Mr Turnbull added.

“It is absolutely apparent that he should not have been anywhere near a motorcar having consumed that amount, let alone driving one.”

Traffic Sergeant Sean Grey, of North Yorkshire Police, said after the inquest that Mr McCabe had been “irresponsible and selfish”.

“Most disturbingly of all,” he said, “Mr McCabe’s seven-year-old son was a passenger in the car that dreadful day and he suffered serious injuries.”

“Apart from the physical trauma, we can only imagine what this child is going to remember for the rest of his life, being in that car while his dad died next to him. This is tragic in the extreme and my heart goes out to this boy and his loved ones.”

Since the beginning of December, North Yorkshire Police has carried out more than 300 breath tests and arrested 16 motorists on suspicion of drink-driving.