An inquest has been unable to establish why 17-year-old Lucy Knapp lost control of her car before it struck a tree on a road in Kent.
Lucy was driving a Seat Ibiza Xcellence when it left Headcorn Road, between Staplehurst and Headcorn, at about 8.25pm on June 11. She died from multiple injuries caused by the collision.
Two passengers, Sam Elliott, 19, and Ashton Stock, 17, were seriously injured. Both were not wearing seatbelts, while Lucy was restrained, and both have since been discharged from hospital.
Inquest into Lucy Knapp’s death
The inquest at Oakwood House in Maidstone heard there was no evidence of another vehicle being involved. The Seat was examined and found to have no mechanical defects, while no footage captured the crash itself.
Kent Police investigators concluded the car had been travelling at about 76mph in a 30mph zone when its airbag deployed on impact.
In the five seconds before the collision, the car accelerated gently before reaching full acceleration in the final second. The inquest heard there was “no evidence of braking at any point”.
Detective Constable David Holmes told the hearing that a Snapchat video recovered from Mr Elliott’s phone had been recorded about 30 seconds before the crash.
He said the footage showed Lucy “with an inflated balloon with the neck of it in her mouth”, while both passengers also had balloons. Several nitrous oxide canisters were later found in the back of the car.
DC Holmes said the most likely explanation was that Lucy had inhaled nitrous oxide from a balloon, which “has caused her effects that severely impacted her driving”.
However, senior forensic scientist Rebecca Stennings found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in Lucy’s system. A pathologist recorded that her nitrate level was slightly raised at 1.33 milligrams, but said it could also fall within the normal range for someone with, for example, a vegetable-rich diet.
Coroner Jyoti Gill said: “I am unable to conclude on the balance of probabilities that the level detected caused her to lose control of the vehicle.
“The reason she lost control could not be established on the balance of probabilities.”
DC Holmes told the inquest he had made repeated efforts to speak to the passengers. Mr Stock provided only “minimal information”, remembering a visit to a Sainsbury’s in Staplehurst at about 7.30pm, when the group may have bought food or gone to an ATM.
Mr Elliott and his family declined to speak to police, saying he could not remember anything about the crash. When questioned by Lucy’s father, James Knapp, about the lack of information, DC Holmes said he could not “force someone to talk to us”.
Mr Knapp, who works for the RAF in Cyprus, said there was no factual evidence that Lucy had lost control because of drugs.
He said: “The only two people that know are Sam Elliott and Ashton Stock. They will be the two people to ask. It’s disappointing because it puts Lucy in a bad light when really, only those two know what actually happened.
“[It’s] something I might never know.”
Lucy’s mother, Carlie Shepherd, described her daughter to the coroner as a “bubbly, forward person” who had been against drugs. She said she had noticed changes after Lucy met Mr Elliott less than six months earlier.
Her sister Nicole, 20, said Lucy had been her best friend, adding: “We spoke about everything, gave each other advice, supported each other and, most importantly, made each other laugh.”
Ms Shepherd said her “beautiful” daughter “had a way of making everyone smile”. Lucy, who was born in Oxford and spent most of her life in Ashford, had passed her driving test four months before the crash.
More than £5,000 was raised towards the teenager’s funeral. She is survived by her sisters Nicole and Brooke, her brother Kacper, and her step-siblings Eloise, Tia and Kai.
