Cocaine binge father, 40, killed eight-year-old son when his BMW aquaplaned on ... trends now
An eight-year-old boy lost his life after his drugged-up father's BMW 'aquaplaned' on a flooded road and collided into a lorry, an inquest has heard.
Blake Consterdine-Clarke died in hospital soon after suffering catastrophic injuries in the crash on the M60 near Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, on February 28, 2020.
His father Leon Clarke, 40, who was 13 times the drug-driving limit, had taken cocaine the night before he lost control of his unroadworthy BMW 3 Series, which was travelling at 76mph near junction 23.
Clarke, of Rochdale, who was jailed for four years in October when he pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving, was seen by emergency services cradling Blake while crying, 'I've killed my son'.
Blake Consterdine-Clarke, eight, died in a crash on the M60 near Audenshaw, Greater Manchester, when his cocaine-addled father's unroadworthy BMW 'aquaplaned' on a flooded road and crashed into a lorry
Delivery driver Leon Clarke, 40, was 13 and a half times the drug limit when he crashed his BMW on the M60 in Greater Manchester on February 28, 2020, his killing eight-year-old son Blake (pictured together)
Uninsured Clarke had picked up his two young sons from their grandparents' home in Middleton at around 1:40pm on the day of the tragedy.
An inquest at Manchester South Coroner's Court yesterday heard that a blocked drain had resulted in a 'significant amount of water' building up on the motorway on the day of the crash.
Another vehicle had also aquaplaned on the same stretch of carriageway earlier that day, the inquest was told.
As Clarke drove along the clockwise M60, Blake was sitting in the back of the BMW while his younger brother, who escaped with minor injuries, was a front seat passenger.
The BMW was 'poorly maintained', with both of its rear tyres below the legal limit, the inquest heard.
PC Martin Davies, a forensic collision investigator for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said it had been raining 'quite considerably' prior to the crash.
As Clarke attempted to switch lanes, the inquest heard that he lost control of his vehicle. As the BMW 'aquaplaned' on standing water, it began to spin.
Clarke was seen holding his fatally injured son at the roadside, crying 'I've killed my son' (Pictured: Clarke was still injured at the time of his arrest)
By this point, PC Davies said it would have 'practically impossible to correct'. He told the hearing that the BMW's tyre pressure, tread depth, and the amount of standing water on the road had all contributed to the loss of control.
The tread depth on each of the vehicle's rear tyres was below the legal limit, PC Davies said. One was 'effectively bald', which would have reduced the tyre's ability to disperse water, he explained.
PC Davies said the amount of water on the carriageway was 'not typical' for a motorway. Even a car with adequate tread depth and tyre pressure travelling below the speed limit could
