Overview

• The inquest concluded that David Walsh, 40, and his son Cameron, 16, died by drowning after their hired Mercedes GLC300 left Tetney Lock Road and plunged into a canal on January 6, 2024.
• Witnesses told the court the vehicle hit a telegraph pole and became airborne before landing upside down in the water, with erratic, high-speed driving observed on the 60 mph single-track road.
• Assistant coroner Marianne Johnson ruled on the balance of probabilities that David Walsh was driving and officially recorded drowning as the cause of death for both victims.
• The coroner found that an uneven, undulating surface with adverse camber and cracking on Tetney Lock Road contributed to the collision.
• Johnson said she will issue a prevention of future deaths report urging better and faster communication between police and highways departments after serious road traffic collisions.