Dad-to-be’s addiction led to fatal car crash

May 2 2008 by Carl Butler, Chester Chronicle

A PREGNANT wife crashed when her husband snatched at the driving wheel to get her to drive him to a drug supplier.

Former Abbey Gate College student David Grindley, 27, was married to Carla for just four months and she was 39 weeks pregnant, a Flint inquest heard yesterday.

The Chester-born former Vicars Cross resident was fighting a drug habit and was about to go to Wrexham college to start a university course for anti-drug counselling.

But, on September 11, as the couple, from Main Road, Higher Kinnerton, were driving home from a cashpoint machine at Broughton Shopping Park, he wanted her to turn around and drive him to Blacon so he could get drugs.

When she refused, he grabbed the steering wheel and jerked it to the left.

The car crashed into a concrete safety post anchor on the A55 southbound carriageway of the Chester Southerly, between Dobshill and the Hawarden turnoff. It somersaulted onto its roof for about 80m before stopping.

Mrs Grindley was left dangling from the roof by her seat belt but her husband, who was not wearing his, was thrown out of the car and suffered “fearful” head and spine injuries, said north east Wales coroner John Hughes.

He died 11 days later at the Countess of Chester Hospital from brain and spinal injuries. He carried a transplant donor card and his organs were removed.

Mr Hughes told the family: “You gave the gift of life to others in the midst of your tragedy.”

Mrs Grindley escaped serious injury and later gave birth to a daughter.

In a statement, Mrs Grindley told police David had done his utmost to “get clean” for a trip to Australia last year, where she, a health care worker, had won a scholarship for a work placement. While there, she said David had got a surgical implant to help with his drug problem.

Two days prior to the accident he had been clean. But, after collecting £30 from the cashpoint, he wanted to go to Blacon for drugs.

She said he became “agitated” when she refused to go to Blacon and shouted at her to turn around.

John Hughes, recording a verdict of accidental death, said: “This is a young man who had a good future ahead of him. He was due to start a university course and had grappled manfully with drug addiction and tried very hard to rid himself of that addiction. Clearly his resolve weakened and he determined he wanted heroin.”