The death of a young father from Long Buckby who ‘would do anything for anyone’ was deemed an accident by a coroner and ruled out the possibility the 31-year-old could have taken his own life.
James King’s car came off the road and rolled on a tight corner of the B4037 near Newnham on the evening of Thursday, February 20. He died from his injuries three days later at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.
Police say he was not wearing a seatbelt and a postmortem showed he was well over the drink-drive limit to the extent his driving would have been ‘seriously impaired’.
The dad-of-one, of Knutsford Lane, Long Buckby, had been diagnosed anti-depressants by doctors that day having separated with his wife, Jennifer, with whom he shared a two-year-old son.
But at an inquest at County Hall, Northampton, yesterday (Wednesday), coroner Anne Pember returned a verdict of accidental death.
She said: “From what I have heard he made an error of judgement. His driving would have been impaired by alcohol.
“I do not believe there was any intention on his part to end his own life.”
The inquest heard how Mr King, who worked as a professional driver, had a history of depression. His condition was said to have improved after the birth of his son William in 2012, but in the months before his death had become ‘more comfortable with his own company’, according to evidence given by his wife Jennifer.
In a statement read to the court she said: “Despite the issues I did love James and he loved me.”
Following an argument on Tuesday, February 19, Mr King went to stay with his grandmother, Iris King, of Newnham, Daventry.
The following day he visited doctors in Northampton, who assessed that he was not ‘actively suicidal’.
That evening on the phone he told a work colleague, Mark Fowler, that he was feeling low and had drunk alcohol. Mr Fowler, giving evidence in court said he pleaded with Mr King not to drive that evening.
He went on to say: “He was such a lovable bloke, always looking out. The laughs that he used to bring to work - that was the James we all remember.
“I don’t think he was suicidal, he was reckless, but not suicidal.”
Speaking after the inquest his grandmother Iris King, said: “He would do anything for anyone.”