A recent inquest has shed further light on the tragic death of Tommy Hunter, a 27-year-old father whose body was found in a hedge in Burton Road, Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, in December 2023. Mr Hunter had been walking home from a night out when he was struck by a car, sustaining injuries described by a forensic pathologist as 'unsurvivable'.
During proceedings at Rutland and North Leicestershire Coroner's Court, forensic pathologist Dr Michael Biggs testified that Mr Hunter's head injuries would have been fatal 'at the point of impact'. Dr Biggs, who was unusually called to the scene by detectives after Mr Hunter's friends located his body, noted that the civil engineer was found 'within some very dense bushes' by the roadside. Upon removal from the foliage, injuries to his left leg were observed, likely indicating the initial point of impact with the vehicle, followed by a secondary, fatal head injury from the car's windscreen.
Crash investigator Sgt Russell Davies also presented evidence, stating that Mr Hunter was discovered approximately 20 metres from a scuff mark on the road, which may have been caused by the collision. Utilising an Australian study from the 1990s that analysed head impacts on car windscreens similar in size to the Pontiac Firebird involved, Sgt Davies estimated the vehicle's speed at between 45mph and 50mph. This speed falls within the road's 50mph limit.
Sgt Davies further explained that considering factors such as the lack of street lighting, the driver's reaction time, and how quickly a pedestrian would have been identifiable, the driver would likely have been unable to stop in time to prevent the collision. He added that there was no evidence to suggest the driver took any evasive action before the impact.
In connection with the incident, Brandon Beesla, 28, admitted in March 2025 to driving a Pontiac Firebird in a condition likely to cause danger of injury on Burton Road on the night Mr Hunter went missing. Appearing at Leicester Magistrates' Court, Beesla was subsequently fined £2,000 and received a 12-month driving ban.