A 23-year-old who was 'fascinated' by restoring classic cars died after he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a van on the A590 near Levens.

Owen Kendrick, of Kendal, was killed in a road collision on the morning of January 2, 2024, after the blue Jaguar XJS in which he was travelling west on the A590 at Gilpin Bridge crashed into the rear of a white Iveco Daily van which was travelling in the same direction.

In a statement read to Cockermouth Coroner's Court, the driver of the van said he was making deliveries for work at the time with the help of his passenger, who was asleep at the time of the incident just after 9am.

He recalls travelling at around 55 miles per hour at the time, a speed that was confirmed by the vehicle's tachograph.

Without warning, he then heard a 'colossal impact', and both men got out of the van after it came to a stop.

When looking behind the van, he noticed a severely damaged car.

The statement said: "I was in shock and wondered what I'd done wrong.

"I used to be in the army and I could remember a driving instructor telling me that if I can't remember what had happened in an accident it's probably my fault."

Another witness, who was also driving west on the A590, said that around 9am, the blue Jaguar 'came past me at such a speed I had a feeling something might happen'.

He said it seemed as if the rear of the Jaguar 'seemed as if it was about to lose control', before it 'started to skid' and collided into the back of a white van 'at high speed'.

The statement said he saw what appeared to be a male lying in the road, and called 999 for an ambulance.

Paramedics arrived and found there was nothing they could do due to the extent of Mr Kendrick’s injuries and pronounced him deceased at 9.22am.

A collision investigation report concluded that that Mr Kendrick's car, travelling in lane two, began to rotate anti-clockwise and collided with the rear offside of the Iveco van, causing 'massive primary damage' to the Jaguar.

Investigations found that Mr Kendrick was not intoxicated, no mechanical faults were found in either vehicle, and no action by other road users contributed to the crash.

The weather conditions, described as 'wet and overcast', were ruled out as a factor.

There was insufficient evidence to cite driving experience, fatigue, mobile phone use, or a medical episode at the wheel as contributing factors.

The investigation concluded that excessive speed 'may' have been a factor, as the Jaguar was a 'powerful car', and it was travelling 'significantly faster than the Iveco', though acknowledged the speed of the Jaguar could not be established.

The investigation concluded that it was likely that 'inappropriate input', such as steering, braking, or accelerating, reduced the car's stability, causing Mr Kendrick to lose control, causing the collision.

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Police were unable to ascertain the purpose of Mr Kendrick's journey, who worked for Lakeland Drinks, or how long he had been driving for.

Assistant Coroner for Cumbria, Robert Cohen, accepted the cause of death offered as multiple injuries, caused by a road traffic collision.

Mr Kendrick had moved to Kendal in 2022 from his home of Leicester, to allow him to follow his passion for classic cars and be closer to friends he had met through his hobby, according to a statement submitted by his mother, Lisa Vesty.

Passing on his condolences to Mr Kendrick's loved ones, Mr Cohen said: "He was obviously someone who had a rich social and recreational life."

Referring to the driver of the Iveco, Mr Cohen said: "It’s all too obvious to me that (he) has suffered dreadfully in the aftermath, and to come to terms with this accident.

"I'm very sorry to hear that and I send him my best wishes and hope that he can in due course recover from those effects."