Corfu crash deaths 'accidental'

Sadie I'Anson (right) was orphaned as a result of the crash in 2003

The deaths of a South Yorkshire family killed in a car crash on holiday in Corfu were caused by the negligence of a Greek driver, an inquest has heard.

Neil I'Anson, 34, his wife Dawn, 28, and their six-year-old son Keegan died when the car they were in collided with a speeding vehicle in September 2003.

The couple's daughter Sadie, who was seven at the time, survived the accident but was badly injured.

Rotherham Coroner Stanley Hooper recorded verdicts of accidental death.

Passengers injured

The inquest reopened on Thursday after being adjourned in September 2003 to allow Greek police to complete their investigation into the crash.

The court heard how the family were being driven home from a taverna by a friend who lived on the island when they collided with a red Opal Corsa.

She's resilient as all children are and she's come through it Brian Wigley, Sadie's grandfather

Statements read out from the police and witnesses in Corfu all suggested the blame for the crash lay with the 22-year-old Greek driver of the Corsa.

He was driving at twice the legal speed limit and had consumed twice the legal alcohol limit, the court heard.

Three passengers in his car, all from Greece, were also seriously hurt in the collision.

Officers in Corfu described the accident, which happened outside the northern village of Karousades, as one of the worst on the island in recent years.

'Very strong'

Mr Hooper said the Greek driver was entirely to blame for the deaths through his drunkenness and negligence.

Neil I'Anson was a railway signalman who worked in York. His wife Dawn, a former nurse, worked part-time as a cleaner in a pub near their home in Swinton.

Speaking after the inquest, Sadie's grandparents Brian and Patricia Wigley said the nine-year-old had coped very well.

"She's very strong, she's resilient as all children are and she's come through it," Mr Wigley said.

"She does relapse occasionally and she still thinks about her mummy and daddy and Keegan but we never hide anything.

"We talk about it, there are still photographs in the house which she sees and keeps and looks at so it's all open."