A CORONER said an uninsured driver had no regard for the safety of his passengers and other motorists when he drove at speed, killing Radcliffe teenager Linzi Gunning.

Graham Lowe (25) was not wearing a seat belt and was killed instantly along with his front seat passenger, 16-year-old Philip Kelly, who was also wearing no seatbelt, when his Vauxhall Cavalier spun out of control. Linzi (17) was in the back seat of the car.

Tragedy struck at 10pm on July 7 last year when Mr Lowe drove his car at an excessive speed along Pilsworth Road, Heywood, and lost control on a bend.

The car began to veer into the opposite lane and smashed into an oncoming Vauxhall Astra car. The Astra was pushed backwards seven yards and debris was scattered over a wide area. Mr Lowe, from Middleton, and Philip, from Heywood, were killed instantly. Linzi, of Bolton Road, Radcliffe, was pronounced dead on arrival at Bury General Hospital after suffering horrific injuries.

The driver and passenger in the Astra, Denis McKay (56) and his son Adam, both from Heywood, suffered broken ribs and a broken wrist respectively and are still recovering from their injuries.

Traffic officer PC James Thorp from Rochdale police described the crash scene as "one of the worst" he had ever seen.

Mr McKay told an inquest in Bury on Friday (Jan 11) how he and his son had visited the Asda store at Pilsworth and were making their way home when the Cavalier car spun out of control and into their path.

He said: "I braked hard but it all happened in a split second. I couldn't do anything to avoid the collision."

Post mortems were later carried out on the three accident victims. Philip Kelly died instantly from a ruptured aorta, Mr Lowe's heart was severely ruptured and Linzi, a former pupil at Wesley Methodist Primary and Radcliffe High schools, died from multiple injuries.

Recording verdicts of accidental deaths for all three, Coroner Mr Barrie Williams said: "Although the driver and front seat passenger were not wearing seat belts it is unlikely even if they had been it would have made any difference.

"The fact that they, especially the driver of the Cavalier, were not wearing seat belts and that I understand there to have been no insurance cover by the driver, perhaps shows a complete disregard for his safety, the others in his vehicle and others outside it.

Mr Williams said Mr Lowe lost control of the Vauxhall Cavalier "probably while driving too fast" and the driver of the Astra had "no time to react in any way to avoid the impact".