Inquest Held Into Deaths Of Three Young Friends Fatally Injured In A38 Crash

An inquest into the death of three friends who died when their work van crashed in a storm has been held.

Trevor Gorman, aged 23, died along with Zachary Graham and Marshall Arnott, aged 24 and 20 respectively, when their vehicle collided with a road sign on the busy A38 near Plymouth.

The three keen footballers, who had played for a number of local teams in Plymouth, were returning home from work when the crash happened on 5 June, 2017.

Following the crash Trevor’s family instructed expert road accident lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident.

An inquest at Plymouth Coroner’s Court has now concluded that the three friends died as the result of a road traffic collision.

Coroner Ian Arrow stated that the van was travelling within the speed limit when the collision happened in ‘poor’ weather conditions. The three friends died instantly from multiple injuries, he added.

Speaking after the hearing Trevor’s family paid tribute to the talented sportsman who was the eldest of five children and who was a drainage engineer for R&M Utility & Civil Engineering Services.

Trevor had planned to propose to childhood sweetheart Emma Jackson on 19 June 2017 when the couple were due to be on holiday in Tenerife.

In a joint statement his parents Trevor and Tanya aged 44 and 43 respectively and Emma, 23, said: “Trevor was a real sportsman and loved swimming, rugby, running but his one true love was football.

“Trevor meant the world to us all. He was so unique. He was always quiet and shy at first, but once you got to know him, he was the funniest person with the driest sense of humour. He had the biggest, cheekiest smile which would instantly make you smile back.

“He was also the nicest, kindest, loyal, polite, handsome young man who would do anything for anyone. His brothers and sisters all looked up to him and he always looked out for them and would do anything for them. We are all devastated and miss him terribly.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the emergency services for their efforts in trying to save the lives of Trevor, Zachary and Marshall. We would also like to thank the coroner for their thorough investigation into this extremely difficult accident.”

Expert Opinion

Trevor’s loved ones have had to endure an exceptionally difficult eight months after their lives were turned upside-down. The events of what happened that day and the loss of a much-loved son, brother and fiancé is still raw for Trevor’s family.

“We will continue to support Trevor, Tanya and Emma as they try to come to terms with their loss and thank the coroner for their findings.” Natasha Feher - Solicitor

Trevor and Emma met in 2006 at Ridgeway School in Plympton. The couple were saving for a deposit to buy a house before starting a family.

Trevor ran the 1500 metres for Plymouth and Devon as well as representing Devon in football.

He played football for SB Frankfort Men’s team along with Zachary. It was hoped that Marshall would also join his friends at the club.

Trevor also leaves behind brothers Tyler and Luke, aged 23 and 16 as well as sisters Yasmin, Elena, aged 22 and 18.

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