Speed and potholes blamed for fatal River Nene Wisbech crash

Four members of Eden Bunn’s family attended the inquest into the horse-loving teenager’s death at Vantage House, Huntingdon.

The inquest heard Eden, from Sutton Bridge, was sitting in the middle of the rear seat of a Volkswagen Polo driven by Declan Berry when it ended up in the River Nene at Wisbech on March 17.

Eden Bunn loved her horses. (Image: Cambridgeshire Police)

Ms Gray heard evidence from a collision report prepared by police accident investigators.

The report said Mr Berry, 18, was driving the Polo at about 90mph on North Brink, Wisbech, at around 8.19pm when it hit a pothole, left the road, rolled several times and plunged into the fast-flowing river.

Three other teenagers, all aged 18, were in the car with Eden and Mr Berry.

Mr Berry also died, and his body was recovered from the river at Wisbech Marian nearly two weeks later.

The many floral tributes that were left by the River Nene in Wisbech after the fatal crash that claimed the life of Eden Bunn. (Image: Sarah Cliss)

Three of the passengers escaped the submerged car, but Eden did not get out. Her body was recovered the following day.

A post-mortem found that Eden’s severe head injury was the primary cause of death. Ms Gray said there was no evidence of water in her lungs.

The collision report blamed the car’s speed but said the road’s potholes, crumbling edges, undulating, and uneven surface also played a “less than minimal” part in the crash.

Declan Berry had been driving the VW Polo in which Eden was a passenger. (Image: Cambridgeshire Constabulary)

The three surviving passengers said Mr Berry was driving fast and that the front-seat passenger told him to slow down moments before the crash after noting he was doing 90mph.

A female rear-seat passenger said Eden also shouted “Declan” just before Mr Berry lost control.

The witnesses said Mr Berry shouted “oh shit” after the car hit a pothole and left the road.

A nearby resident who witnessed the crash said he saw the headlights and rear lights “rotating through the air” but could not tell how they were rotating.

He helped pull the survivors from the water, then searched the bank for the two missing occupants before emergency services arrived.

Ms Gray said Cambridgeshire Highways had received 127 complaints about the road and that a survey four days before the crash found 98 potholes along North Brink. One near the crash site measured a quarter of the road’s width.

The road was due to be repaired within 21 days, but the crash happened first. Highway workers filled the potholes the next day while the road was closed due to the incident.

Ms Gray recorded a conclusion that Eden died in a road traffic accident, stating excessive speed was the main cause of the crash, and that the poor road surface had made more than a "minimal contribution" to the crash.

She offered her condolences to Eden’s family members who were present: two aunts, an uncle and a cousin. Eden’s parents did not attend.

An inquest into Declan Berry's death was heard yesterday.