Dad died in horrific road crash minutes after he had Skyped his family

A father of three died in a horrific road crash in Sierra Leone minutes after he had Skyped his family, an inquest heard.

Plant fitter Arran Cowen, 32, from Middleton, died when the Land Rover in which he was a passenger was sent crashing down an embankment when another car which was overtaking suddenly crashed into it.

Mr Cowen was thrown clear of the Land Rover which rolled over at least six times following the collision shortly after 6.30am on March 15, 2013, the Manchester Evening News reports.

An inquest heard his wife Joanne had contacted him on Skype earlier in the journey from Rogbere Junction where he was based to an iron ore mine at Marampa.

During the four-minute chat, Mrs Cowen told the hearing she could hear raised voices, arguing and 'a lot of shouting in the background'.

He managed to speak briefly to his daughter but she told the inquest he had to cut the call short, saying: "I'm going to have to go.

"Something's going on. I will ring you later."

That was the last time she spoke to her husband. She found out later that day he had died in a road crash.

She told the inquest her husband, who she described as a hard-working family man, had expressed concern about safety and working conditions in Sierra Leone and how her husband had even had to bring his own tools so he could repair and service heavy machinery.

The court heard Mr Cowen and other plant fitters, all working for civil
engineering company Dawnus International, itself a contractor for the London Mining Company, had expressed concern about a local driver they had been using.

Their boss, project manager Jeffrey Scott, due to travel in a Toyota Hilux at the same time, agreed to swap drivers.

The decision meant Sylvia Korama was at the wheel of the Land Rover when she decided to overtake the Hilux at a speed of somewhere between 60kph and 70kph on a straight section of road before dawn broke, the inquest heard.

Martin Bristoe, a passenger in the Land Rover, said that while carrying out the overtaking manoeuvre he could see the lights of an on-coming vehicle in the very far distance and Ms Korma 'pulled in nervously' although he said there was plenty of time to complete the move.

The Land Rover struck the Hilux once or twice and began to swerve before rolling down the embankment and ending up in the bush, the court heard.

"I thought 'when is this going to stop?'" Mr Bristoe said in a statement read to the court.

Mr Cowen formerly of Birchwood Road, Middleton, died of multiple injuries following a road traffic collision, concluded Coroner Simon Nelson.
Court proceedings against Ms Korama are continuing in Sierra Leone, the inquest was told.