A TEENAGER was crushed underneath his car when it flipped and wedged between a wall and a parked van, an inquest heard.

Christopher Blinkhorn, 16, of Stonehouse Lane, Peckforton, was half-thrown out of the Peugeot 106 he was driving as it lifted into the air after he lost control on a bend.

Andy Spencer of Chester Fire Station said at the time: 'The car was slotted between the wall and the transit van. This was one of the most complex and protracted removals I have seen in 26 years.'

The three service response, including 15 firefighters, took an hour to pull the teenager clear before a flying squad took him to the Countess of Chester Hospital. He died of his injuries.

The crash, at 2.43am on August 17 last year, was about 40 metres west of The Oak pub, Kelsall and followed a night of drinking. Mr Blinkhorn began badgering friend Nicholas Campbell, a barman at The Oak from Duttons Lane, Kelsall, to get him cig arettes.

Mr Campbell told police: 'I was drinking when Chris wanted some fags. He began to pester me to take him to the garage - I said no because I had had too much to drink.

'After about 20 minutes I threw the keys at him. He said 'I can't reverse well, so can you back it out'.'

At Chester Coroner's Court, Mr Blinkhorn's uncle Mark Taylor asked Mr Campbell: 'Was he a reasonably good friend? What on earth possessed you to give someone under age and under the influence the keys to a car?'

Mr Campbell told him: 'I don't know. There hasn't been a day gone by without me hating myself for what I have done. I don't know.'

Verdict: Misadventure.