Overview

• Senior coroner Kate Robertson recorded accidental death verdicts for Humphrey Pickering and Stephen and Katherine Burch at the Caernarfon inquest on August 7, 2025.
• Forensic collision investigator Meilir Hywel concluded that the crash was caused by “pedal misapplication” when Pickering pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.
• Vehicle telemetry showed the Audi A8 accelerated to 55 mph in a 20 mph zone with no brake input in the seconds before the impact.
• CCTV and eyewitness testimony described the car lurching from a parking space near the Bulkeley Hotel, striking pedestrians on Alma Street, and then crashing into a house.
• Families received formal condolences during the hearing as local tributes underscored calls to review elderly driver fitness and expand the use of pre-crash data in road-safety inquiries.