A FATHER of two who had been drinking and was not wearing a seatbelt when he fatally crashed his van on the A1307 has been described at the inquest into his death as 'the architect of his own disaster'.

The inquest on Monday, at Shire Hall, Cambridge, heard how 34-year-old Peter Rogers was thrown from the Ford Transit after he lost control on a bend in the Haverhill-bound lane, close to the Cardinals Green junction of the road, at about 4.45pm on December 1 last year.

He died later that night at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge of a brain injury suffered when the van rolled on to him after he was thrown out and into a field.

Assistant Deputy Coroner for Cambridgeshire, Dr Colin Lattimore, said Mr Rogers, of Chedburgh Place, Haverhill, had been almost twice the drink-driving limit, having 136 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood – the limit is 80 milligrammes – at some point earlier had taken cocaine and was not wearing a seatbelt when he crashed.

Dr Lattimore said he wanted to 'deter other people' from suffering the same fate, adding: "There's no doubt if Mr Rogers had not been drink driving and wearing a seatbelt he would be here today."

Eyewitness Darren Cutter earlier told the hearing he had to swerve his Audi A4 to avoid the rear wheels of Mr Roger's Transit, which had crossed on to the wrong side of the road just before the accident.

Police accident investigation officer, Pc Chris Breeze, said Mr Rogers' Transit had spun out of control, rotating anti-clockwise in the road before hitting the verge and flipping over into the field,

He said: "Because he was not wearing a seatbelt he was thrown from the vehicle and the cab came to rest on top of him."

Before announcing a verdict of accidental death Dr Lattimore said: "I'm afraid that this gentleman was the architect of his own disaster."

steve.barton@haverhillecho.com