The full inquest into the death of Kian Broadhead, 25, was held at Douglas Courthouse and heard how he was ‘happy and smiling’ in the hours before his tragic death.
Kian, who lived in Peel, died after the work van he was driving left the A4 at the Devil’s Elbow. He was last seen leaving Peel at around midnight on Saturday, September 13, and was found at about 5.25pm the following day.
Despite his body being found some 17 hours after the crash, medical evidence showed Mr Broadhead died ‘almost instantaneously’ from a head injury in the accident which likely happened just after midnight on the Sunday.
In a written statement, Kian’s mum Kate Lowey said: ‘Our whole family is heartbroken by our loss but we are pulling together and supporting each other the best way we can.’
She explained how the family is a ‘close and supportive unit’. She said Kian was a plumber who loved football, was an avid Liverpool FC fan and played for Peel AFC.
Moving tributes were paid shortly after Kian’s death from Peel AFC members while hundreds attended his funeral at St German’s Cathedral in Peel.
Ms Lowey said her son had sought support from a therapist to deal with unresolved issues around the death of his father in 2018 but that he had never suffered from mental health problems.
Evidence was heard from Kian’s mum, his girlfriend and other friends who saw him in Peel on the Saturday as he celebrated after scoring a goal in the team’s win that day.
They described him as being in ‘high spirits’ as he visited the Peveril and Marine pubs.
Ms Lowey said she had a picture taken with Kian that evening at the Peveril which he later sent to her. She replied ‘love you’, which she said ‘were the last words I said to him’.
A statement was also read out from Kian’s girlfriend. The couple had been together for a few months but had known each other since school.
She met up with Kian in Peel on the Saturday evening and said: ‘Kian was in a really good mood, laughing and joking.’
Kian was due to spend that night at her home in Kirk Michael. However, he left the Marine at around 11.45pm and his last message to his girlfriend was at 11.55pm saying he would meet back at hers.
Concerns grew the next day when Kian never returned and his van had disappeared from where it had been parked.
Just after 5pm on Sunday, Kian’s girlfriend and a friend, along with her brother and his girlfriend, were travelling into Peel and noticed damaged signs at the Devil’s Elbow.
The girlfriend’s brother jumped over the wall and headed down the valley where he found Kian’s van badly damaged. Emergency services were called and it was later confirmed Kian had died.
Kian’s girlfriend said: ‘I was in shock and it was all a blur. I am still struggling to process it. Losing Kian has been utterly devastating.’
Further police investigations found no defects with the van and the road surface was also clear. After failing to negotiate a 90-degree bend, Kian’s van plunged 40 metres down a ravine.
A postmortem found Kian had died of head and neck injuries caused by a road traffic collision. Toxicology reports found Kian had been three times over the legal drink-drive limit at the time of the crash.
Coroner James Brooks said he was satisfied the collision was caused by ‘the actions or inaction’ of Kian himself but dismissed suicide as a verdict, saying there was no evidence he intended to harm himself.
Mr Brooks believed the amount of alcohol Kian drank that night impaired his judgment and meant he misjudged the corner.
Ms Lowey had also raised concerns that the crash detection feature on Kian’s phone failed to work due to a poor signal. The feature would detect any collision and alert emergency services. However, Kian was not found for 17 hours.
While Mr Brooks had considered issuing a prevention of future deaths report around the issue, he said Kian could not have been saved as he would have died quickly. However, he said he hoped the poor signal issues would be addressed.
After delivering a verdict of accidental death, Mr Brooks told the family: ‘Those who met Kian that evening spoke about him as happy and smiling and I hope that is the way you remember him.’