Two men were killed when they hit a tree so fast their car split in three and the mature tree was knocked to the ground.

The speedometer on the BMW being driven by Rikki-Lee Woods, 26, was frozen at 84mph after it flew through the air and into the tree following a night of drinking in Hull city centre.

Rikki-Lee was killed instantly and his passenger and best friend Glen Hilton, 27, died later in hospital.

The car, which reached speeds of 100mph shortly before going into a 20mph zone, was in such a state that investigators could not initially tell who had been driving the car in the 7am crash last April.

Just hours earlier Mr Hilton had kissed his girlfriend Zoey Farmery goodnight after she left him at about 3.30am to continue partying. 

The men had dropped off a friend at home who had ‘no concerns’ over their driving and then crashed into the tree at 7am on April 22. 

Ms Farmery said that she assumed he was still asleep when she tried to call him at 7.30am but got worried when she had still not heard from him at 9.30am. 

She called Mr Hilton’s father who told her the police had come to their house and told them what had happened.

Mr Woods’ family said: ‘Rikki’s three-year-old daughter asks for him every day. He was loyal to the core and is missed by us, every single one of us, every day.

‘He was a good kid would give you his last penny – he even would give £20 to a homeless man to help out and was always generous with his family.

‘He was a doting father and a dad-of-two and the epitome of a family man.

‘He was a giver of money and there was not a bad bone in his body. He would do anything for anyone and he put others before himself.’

His father, who had seen Mr Woods the night before, told the court that his son’s death was ‘like a horrible nightmare’ that has had a massive impact on the family.

Mr Hilton’s mother said: ‘As a child Glen had no significant ailments and illnesses and was fit.

‘He worked in construction and in a relationship and has three children with his girlfriend. Glen had an interest in motorcycles and motor cars and had at least one since he was 17.’

She told the inquest he had been in trouble with the law for motor offences and suffered with depression, but was a ‘normal drinker’.

Rikki-Lee was over the drink drive limit and had cocaine in his system. Mr Hilton had moderate to high levels of alcohol in his blood.

The pair’s family have left messages on the tree their car crashed into saying: ‘We will always love you daddy.’

Another one says: ‘My son. My life. Come home to me. I love you, mam xxx’ with one more saying: ‘RIP my son’.

Coroner Rosemary Baxter said that the deaths of both Mr Woods and Mr Hilton were due to a road traffic collision.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. 

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Source: Read Full Article