Jason Myles

PFD Report All Responded Ref: 2025-0087
Date of Report 14 February 2025
Coroner Paul Marks
Response Deadline ✓ from report 11 April 2025
All 1 response received · Deadline: 11 Apr 2025
Response Status
Responses 1 of 1
56-Day Deadline 11 Apr 2025
All responses received
About PFD responses

Organisations named in PFD reports must respond within 56 days explaining what actions they are taking.

Source: Courts and Tribunals Judiciary

Coroner’s Concerns
Evidence was heard that over the past 50 years, there have been a number of fatal, as well as non-fatal collisions at this site. The road is known locally as “suicide hill”. Evidence from two witnesses that an improvement in the signage to alert road users to the hill and the sharp turn at the bottom might be of value, particularly is visibility is poor and the topography of the road is not readily apparent.
Responses
ERYC Highways Department
17 Feb 2025
The ERYC Highways Department confirms existing warning signs are in good condition and appropriate. They dispute the coroner's evidence of numerous past collisions, stating their records for the last 44 years show no other injury collisions at the site, and would only review signage if substantial new evidence was provided. AI summary
View full response
Dear Professor Marks Thank you for your recent correspondence following your investigation into the death of Mr Myles in on 7th February 2024. May I share our sympathies with the family and friends of Mr Myles at their loss. Following the concerns raised in your email, additional site checks were made on on 17th February 2025. I can confirm that there are existing signs warning of the steep nature of the hill into the village, the bend in the road and a chevron board at the bend in question replacing the one damaged in the collision. In addition, there is a village name plate making clear that there is a settlement, and the farm buildings are visible from over 400 metres distance. The signs are in good condition and provide appropriate information about the nature of the road into the village and the bend at the base of the hill. As you mentioned evidence presented that over the past fifty years there have been a large number of fatal and non-fatal collisions at this location, I have examined our archive of STATS19 collision data. This has taken some time to complete. Whilst this only goes back to 1981, there are no records of any other injury collisions of any severity on the hill or the bend in question in those forty-four years. I would be grateful for the information you have been given so that I can examine it further. As you will be aware, suicides are not retained as STATS19 data as they are excluded under the rules set by the Department for Transport, so if there have been previous suicides on the hill they will not be present in the collision records. I would be grateful for any inquest information you hold that I might consider. All additional information supplied will be used to re-examine both the hill and the bend.
Action Should Be Taken
possibly by reviewing the current signage.
Report Sections
Investigation and Inquest
On 16th February 2024, I commenced an investigation into the death of Jason Myles, aged 58 years. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 31st January 2025. The conclusion of the inquest was: SUICIDE
Circumstances of the Death
On the morning of 7th February 2024, Jason Myles who was accompanied by his dog, left his house from where he was due to be evicted at noon, in a Mercedes Vito van registration number . The weather conditions were clear, and the carriageway was dry. His vehicle entered a sharp left-hand bend at excessive speed and made no clear attempt to negotiate it, thereby resulting in a collision with a wall, and thereafter with disused cattle shed. He was not wearing a seat belt and as a result of the impact, he sustained head and chest injuries that were incompatible with life, and he died at the scene. The evidence heard and taken at its highest, indicates that Mr Myles intended to take his own life. The incident occurred on the , East Riding of Yorkshire.

Data sourced from Courts and Tribunals Judiciary under the Open Government Licence.