A YOUNG man died after hitting a tree while travelling at high speed and not wearing a seatbelt near Hay-on-Wye, an inquest heard.

Jack Cook, 23, crashed his modified Peugeot 306 on the B4350 at around midnight on August 11, close to the house he shared with his grandparents in Whitney-on-Wye.

He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham but died on August 13 due to brain injuries.

The farmworker was driving home after an evening socialising in the Boat Inn in Whitney.

His sister Emily Cook was working at the pub on the evening and said that Jack had drank three pints but was ‘not drunk’. She described him as a “fast but good driver”.

Keiran Johnson, who knew Jack, described seeing him leave the pub’s car park at a “hell of a speed”.

The inquest heard he was later seen driving at speed in Hay-on-Wye before Mr Johnson – who was then in the Whitney pub’s car park – heard a loud bang on the other side of the River Wye.

The noise, the hearing was told, was caused by Mr Cook’s car as he made his way back towards Whitney having passed through Clifford.

He said: “There was a cloud of dust in the air and it wasn’t really recognisable as a car. I soon realised it was Jack as he had a recognisable car and I heard a groan from inside.

“I couldn’t see a safe way of getting into the car so waited for the emergency services.”

Ian Sargeant, a consultant at the Birmingham Hospital, said Mr Cook’s outlook on arrival was “extremely poor” due to profound head injuries.

Police constable Mark Murphy attended the scene of the crash and recorded skid marks leading up to the bend close to the accident. He said it showed that the vehicle “must have been” travelling over 60 miles per hour before the crash.

He said: “It’s quite a difficult bend and the severity of it tightens towards the exit.”

Vehicle examiner Michael Saunders said that seat belts were found in the car but weren’t being used at the time of the collision.

Hereford coroner Mark Bricknell recorded a verdict of “accidental death” at Monday’s inquest.

“Mr Cook was known to many as regularly driving quickly,” he said. “On this evening he didn’t use his safety belt and unfortunately lost his concentration while moving at high speeds probably down to drinking alcohol. He died of catastrophic head injuries as a result of a collision with tree. He was a young man with a lot of spirit and had his life ahead of him.”