A teenage driver drowned after his car hit a pothole at 90mph and plunged into a river, an inquest heard.
Declan Berry, of Wisbech, was told to slow down moments before his car plunged into the the River Nene, killing him and sixteen-year-old rear passenger, Eden Bunn.
Mr Berry, 18, was travelling at the excessive speed when his Volkswagen Polo hit a pothole on North Brink, Wisbech, and rolled down an embankment into the water, the hearing heard.
Declan Berry's family and friends laid tributes and waited for news as searches of the River Nene were carried out for his body. (Image: Sarah Cliss)
None of his family was at the hearing at Vantage House in Huntingdon, which heard that Mr Berry drowned after the March 17 crash.
His body was recovered from the river nearly two weeks later at the town’s marina.
A police officer called to identify the body confirmed it was Mr Berry due to an unusual tattoo on the back of his neck and his clothing.
Police investigator James Mills concluded that speed was the main factor in the crash, while the pothole-riddled road, with crumbling edges and an uneven surface, also contributed.
Cambridgeshire area coroner Elizabeth Gray heard that the crash happened at around 8.19pm as Mr Berry drove four teenage friends along North Brink, away from the town centre.
The front-seat passenger told police he had looked at the speedometer and that Mr Berry was driving at 90mph moments before the crash and he had asked him to slow down.
Mr Berry replied "it will be all right," before the car hit a pothole and he lost control.
Eden Bunn, 16, died after the car she was travelling in entered the River Nene, near Wisbech (Image: Cambridgeshire)
The unnamed 18-year-old witness said Mr Berry tried to control the car before shouting "oh s***" as the car left the road, rolled several times and plunged into the river.
The witness said he met Mr Berry at McDonald’s, accepted an invitation to go for a drive and believed Mr Berry had "intended to show off".
He escaped through the broken passenger window and described the water around him as dark, telling officers he did not know where the others were as he made his escape.
Declan Berry's body was recovered from Wisbech Marina nearly two weeks after the fatal crash. (Image: Alan Berry)
A female passenger sitting behind the front passenger, who was not wearing a seat belt, recalled a near miss on the same stretch of road a week earlier.
The other unnamed second rear-seat passenger, who was sat behind Mr Berry, heard a thud beneath the car but did not know what it struck before it rolled into the water.
She struggled to release her seat belt before escaping through a broken window and being rescued by members of the public.
One of the women had also told police that she was used to Mr Berry driving at speed, and it was what she expected.
Many floral tributes were left by the River Nene in Wisbech following the horrific crash. (Image: Sarah Cliss)
Eden Bunn from Sutton Bridge was sitting in the middle and had reportedly called out "Declan" moments before the crash. Her inquest is due tomorrow.
An eyewitness on his driveway at the time of the crash heard a vehicle approach at speed before a loud bang.
He saw the headlights and rear lights "rotating through the air", then ran and found the vehicle completely submerged.
He asked his partner to call emergency services before helping those involved, who had made it to the bank but needed help out of the water.
A Cambridgeshire Search & Rescue team were at the scene for several days. (Image: Sarah Cliss)
Mr Mills’ report found a steering defect and suspension modifications on the VW, but no evidence that either contributed to the crash.
Investigators recovered a dashcam and black box from the Polo, but neither contained any data.
Cambridgeshire County Council recorded 98 potholes during a survey just days before the accident and set a 21-day deadline for repairs, but the crash happened first.
Repairs were carried out immediately after the crash, while the road was closed as a result of the incident.
The accident report said speed was the main factor as it left the driver less time to react to potholes before he lost control. At a lower speed, the rollover would have been less severe.
Ms Gray concluded that Mr Berry drowned after a single-vehicle crash.
She concluded that "excessive speed", the road conditions and the poor surface more than likely contributed to his death.
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