THE mother of a 10-year-old boy who was killed in a road accident after his father lost control of his sports car wants trees removed and signs added to deter speeding drivers at the accident blackspot.
Matthew Thacker - known as Matty - and his father, John Thacker, 43, both died when the black Jaguar XKR they were travelling in left the A456, near Hodgehill Nurseries, in Kidderminster, on October 28, last year.
The car, driven by Mr Thacker, of Harvington, was in collision with a red Vauxhall Corsa, before hitting a tree with "great force," coroner Huw Medlicott, told an inquest into their deaths, on Monday.
In a statement issued after the hearing, Susie Thacker, Matty's mother, said: "Whilst excessive speed was clearly the cause of the accident, we believe that the close proximity of the trees to the carriageway was a significant contributory factor to the accident being fatal.
"This section of the A456 is a well known accident blackspot with three consecutive trees, along a 200- metre stretch of it, now bearing the poignant reminders of fatal accidents."
She added: "We would like to see the removal of these trees as well as some signs on the road, perhaps stating the casualty or fatality numbers as a warning to other speeding drivers."
Describing the accident, Mr Medlicott, said: "HeMr Thacker appears to have lost control of the vehicle and the vehicle then hit the outside of the carriageway, careering across the road and colliding with another vehicle."
Thomas Shepherd, the driver of the Vauxhall, told how he had been driving in front of Mr Thacker, in the right-hand lane before the accident.
The student was on his way home from a martial arts club in Old Hill when he noticed the sports car travelling behind him "above the national speed limit".
He said: "I thought he was almost on my bumper. I pulled into the inside lane.
"I heard a screech and the next thing, I saw the Jaguar in front of my car sideways. I was shocked.I lost control and went into the crash barrier into the outside lane.
"I thought it was going above the national speed limit because of the speed it reached me."
Caroline Bing was also travelling on the A456 towards Kidderminster at the same time as Mr Thacker.
"As I approached the bend I saw a black sports car come flying past me," she said in a statement.
Mr Thacker's daughter, Emma, who was 15 at the time of the crash, was also travelling in the Jaguar and had to be airlifted to hospital after suffering a broken pelvis in the crash.
Mr Thacker, who worked as a sales representative, suffered a dislocation of the upper cervical spine, while Matty suffered multiple head injuries.
Mr Medlicott recorded verdicts of accidental death for both Mr Thacker and his son and told the victims' families they had suffered an "irreplaceable loss."
In her statement, Susie Thacker, added: "As a family we will never get over the loss of both Matty and John. I have lost my precious son. Emma has lost her gorgeous little brother.
"We will never be able to comprehend or come to terms with this wholly avoidable tragedy. Our loss is simply unbearable."
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