24-year-old Race Across the World star Sam Gardiner died in a car crash after driving at ‘significant speeds’ in wet conditions, an inquest has heard.
Gardiner, who took part in the BBC reality show’s second edition in 2020, was driving an adapted VW Golf when he lost control of the vehicle and was killed in May last year.
An inquest, attended by members of his family, heard that, as a result of the crash on the A34 road in Stockport, Gardiner suffered a significant brain injury.
Gardiner’s mum Jo, with whom he had competed with on Race Across the World, and his brother Charlie, listened as details of the crash were revealed.
Coroner Chris Morris said that the VW Golf car had been spotted ‘weaving in and out of traffic’ at a ‘significant estimated speed’ just moments before the crash happened.
In addition, investigators of the accident concluded that high speeds coupled with a wet road surface following heavy rain contributed to the devastating incident.
The inquest, which took place in Stockport, also heard that Gardiner had modified part of his VW Golf’s exhaust in order to make it noisier when in use.
Mum Jo said of her son, ‘As soon as he got [a car] he saw the next one he wanted,’ also adding that Gardiner had removed the silencer from his exhaust.
Morris, who called Gardiner a ‘wonderful person’ described the driving conditions on the night the Race Across the World star died as ‘appalling’.
A statement from his family said: ‘Following the inquest, we want to thank all the witnesses who stopped to help Sam and all the emergency services involved.
‘Whilst we are heartbroken over the loss of Sam, the generosity of people towards helping others with FASD (Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder) is inspiring.’
Gardiner suffered from FASD and had worked to raise money for charities helping those with the condition, which has been estimated to affect 3-5% of people in the UK.
Jo and her husband Andrew, Gardiner’s father, said they had received thousands of messages of support from fans after the dreadful incident last May.
In a statement at the time, they said: ‘We would like to thank the BBC, Studio Lambert and everyone at Race Across The World production, fellow contestants and fans of the show for all their support at this terrible time.
‘It has been very comforting to know that Sam touched so many people.’
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