Driver and passenger died in car crash after party

A teenage driver and his friend died in a car crash after drinking alcohol at a birthday party, an inquest has heard.

Joseph Walsh, 19, had passed his driving test five months before the fatal collision on Brow Lane in Shelf, Halifax, on 20 October 2023.

His friend Tobias Barraclough, 18, was sat on the knees of two other friends in the back of the car and died in hospital a few weeks later, the inquest at Bradford Coroner's Court heard.

The hearing was told both men had been drinking at a pub before getting into the car to travel to a friend's house.

Joseph, known as Joe, had taken cocaine before his death, the inquest heard on Tuesday.

Joe and Tobias, known as Toby, had been drinking at a birthday celebration at the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Halifax between 18:45 and 23:00 BST.

The court heard Joe was believed to have drunk four or five pints of lager at the pub, before he drove four friends to one of their homes for a party.

None of the passengers in the back seat of the car were wearing a seatbelt, the court heard.

When Joe turned onto Brow Lane, he started to speed up to 40mph (64km/h) - twice the speed limit before crashed into a stone wall.

Joe was killed instantly and Toby died on 12 November 2023 at Leeds General Infirmary.

Tributes from both of the men's families were read out at the inquest.

Toby's father Glen said his son "was our absolute world".

He said that Toby's "boisterous and energetic character made him very popular" and he was well-liked by colleagues at his welding apprenticeship.

Joe's mother Lisa said her son had a "brilliant sense of humour and always put a smile on everyone's faces".

"He loved nothing more than being with his friends," she said.

"He paid the ultimate price for that bad decision and it breaks our hearts that Joe and Toby didn't get a second chance to learn from that."

Joe was an apprentice bricklayer and a Joseph Walsh memorial award was created for the young apprentice of the year at the firm where he worked.

The coroner recorded the cause of the men's deaths as injuries caused by a road traffic collision.

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