Two men killed after crashing customised car that had no airbags

Two young men died in a car crash while travelling in a heavily modified car which had its airbags removed, an inquest has heard.

Owen Bartlett and Taylor Antwiss, both 20, were in a Honda Civic driving at ‘potentially over 80mph’ in a 50mph zone when it lost control on a right-hand bend and collided with a Toyota van.

The car was left with ‘catastrophic damage’ and the images of the aftermath were ‘among the most upsetting’ that the coroner had ever seen.

Mr Bartlett – who was driving – and Mr Antwiss, a ‘well-loved’ pair, died as a result of the road traffic collision.

The crash occurred at 1:00 p.m. on January 11, 2022, in East Cowes, Isle of Wight.

The delivery van was driven by Steven Miller, who suffered minor injuries, and said in a statement that all he could do was ‘brace himself for impact’.

His airbags deployed and glass smashed into the van – leaving him dazed but conscious.

Forensic collision investigator Laura Bailey told the court that the Civic had been ‘modified both inside and out’.

This included aftermarket seats and a steering wheel, and the airbags had been removed.

Coroner Caroline Sumeray said: ‘It was not a sensible decision to remove them.’

She added that, given the catastrophic damage, ‘I don’t think it would have made a difference in this case.’

The coroner noted that the extent of the damage was ‘horrifying’, attributing it to the speed at which the Civic was travelling.

She said the photos of the aftermath were ‘amongst the most upsetting road traffic incident photos’ she had ever seen.

She confirmed that there were no defects on either vehicle, and that Mr Miller was in no way at fault.

Mr Miller’s wife asked in court whether there was anything her husband could have done to avoid the crash.

Ms Bailey responded that there was evidence that Mr Miller had attempted to veer left away from the Civic, but there is very likely ‘nothing he could have done’.

Mr Bartlett, who was born in Portugal, worked as a barista, while Mr Antwiss was an apprentice electrician.

Their families chose not to attend the hearing and were instead represented by police liaison officers.

A post-mortem revealed that Mr Bartlett died from severe traumatic chest and abdominal injuries, and Mr Antwiss from multiple traumatic injuries.

Following the tragedy, tributes poured in for the two young men.

Mr Antwiss’s family said: ‘Our son and brother Taylor was the best, he was loving, caring and kind. We are so lucky to have had him for 20 years.

‘He has left a hole in our lives that can never be filled. Our hearts go out to Owen’s family, who must be as heartbroken as we are.’

Mr Bartlett’s family said: ‘Owen was the most amazing, kind, gentle, funny boy. We are lucky to have had him in our lives, and we will miss him every day for the rest of our lives.’

Delivering her conclusion, Mrs Sumeray said: ‘They would have barely known what happened. It’s a tragedy, and my heart goes out to their families.’

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