Adam Zaine killed in crash on Low Lane in Clayton, Bradford

Shortly before the crash, a woman saw a passenger “putting a balloon” in the face of driver Adam Zaine. Moments later a police officer saw the driver and a passenger with balloons and believed they were inhaling nitrous oxide.

Other witnesses said the car was being driven “in a ridiculous manner” and that it sounded like “a boy racer-type car” as it was making such noise that “I would liken it to a shotgun going off next to me”.

Footage from CCTV cameras traced Mr Zaine’s route as he drove along Low Lane in Clayton, Bradford, on a sunny evening on July 17, 2022. The last camera caught his car just 128m before it crashed at 8.12pm.

He failed to negotiate a bend and drifted into the wrong side of the road before the rear of his silver Honda Accord hit a tree and then collided with a black Nissan Qashqai travelling in the opposite direction.

The scene of the crash

He was estimated to be travelling in excess of 55mph on the road, which had a 30mph limit. Other witnesses suggested he may earlier have been travelling as fast as 90mph.

The impact of the crash spun the Nissan almost 180 degrees and pushed it back 18m. The Honda travelled a further 8m before coming to rest.

Mr Zaine, 20, a former pupil of St Bede’s Grammar School and unemployed, suffered chest injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. His passengers received minor injuries. None of the three men were wearing seatbelts.

The rear passenger was thrown forward causing Mr Zaine’s seat to be crushed forward and placing him in close proximity to the steering wheel.

Adam Zaine

The male driver of the Nissan and his female passenger both suffered serious injuries including a broken back, sternum, and neck.

In a statement to police, the Nissan driver said he remembered very little about the collision other than it was “unavoidable”.

He said he saw a car “flying at speed” towards him and that there was “nowhere for me to go” as the Honda was on the wrong side of the road. He said the driver “lost it” on the corner.

He said his girlfriend was screaming, “Get me out!”

A witness at the scene spoke to the front seat passenger in the Honda who said the driver was “booting it down the road” and went head-on into the Nissan.

Another witness who saw the crash from her garden on Low Lane said the Honda was travelling at a “ridiculous speed” that she estimated to be 90mph when it met the Nissan coming in the opposite direction.

She said the Nissan span round going backwards and that the Honda “appeared to go up in the air”.

She added: “I would place full responsibility on the driver of the Honda, who was driving far too fast. There is no way that he could avoid the collision.”

Forensic collision manager Carl Quinn of West Yorkshire Police told the inquest at Bradford Coroners' Court that there was good visibility on the evening in question and that the road surface was dry.

He said the impact caused the Honda’s engine to be torn from its frame. The car suffered “significant damage”. The engine of the Nissan was also displaced towards the rear of the vehicle.

He added: “It is likely that the Honda Accord exceeded the calculated maximum theoretical speed to safely negotiate the bend, which caused it to lose traction and directional control and cross into the opposing traffic lane where it collided with the Nissan Qashqai.”

The maximum theoretical speed to negotiate the bend was 55mph.

Assistant Coroner Ian Pears concluded that Mr Zaine died as a result of a road traffic collision.

He said: “Adam Zaine died from chest injuries. He was driving his vehicle in excess of 55mph in a 30mph zone when he lost control and drove into an oncoming vehicle.”