Death of 4 Teenage Boys in ‘Nightmare’ Camping Crash Was ‘Avoidable’

• The death of four teenage boys during a “nightmare” camping trip accident in November 2023 has been described as ‘avoidable’
• Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Fitchett and Hugo Morris died after their car went off the road in the remote Snowdonia region of the U.K.
• Coroner Kate Robertson reportedly said on Wednesday, Oct. 16 that road signs did not adequately warn drivers about the dangers of the road

The death of four teenage boys during a camping trip in November 2023 was “avoidable,” according to multiple sources including the BBC and U.K. newspaper The Times. 

PEOPLE previously reported that Jevon Hirst, 16, Harvey Owen, 17, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Hugo Morris, 18, died after the car they were driving flipped off the road in the remote Snowdonia region of the U.K. as they traveled for a camping trip.

According to the BBC and The Times, the senior coroner for North West Wales said on Wednesday, Oct. 16 that the teenagers died as a result of drowning after Morris — who had passed his driving test just six months before the trip — lost control of his car on a bend.

After post-mortem examinations, it was discovered that none of the teenagers had significant internal or external injuries.

Collision investigator at North Wales police, Ian Thompson, also said that Morris’ driving was a “significant” factor in the accident and that the crash was “avoidable,” reported Wales Online. 

He added that while both rear tires of the car had half the required pressure for carrying four people, the vehicle had “no catastrophic mechanical failures,” per The Times.

The court was also reportedly told that while the speed limit for the road was 60mph, the critical speed for the bend was 38mph.

“The vehicle has come into the bend a little bit too quickly and has understeered,” Thompson said, according to The Times. “Mr Morris negotiated the right-hand bend, entered onto the grass verge, went down a steep embankment and then into a water-filled drainage ditch.”

Thompson also said that the river had risen by more than three feet over two days ahead of the crash due to heavy rain, adding that it was raining heavily on the day the crash happened. However, the weather is not considered to have played an active part in the accident, reported the BBC.

Senior coroner Kate Robertson concluded that road signs were not adequate enough to warn the drivers of the upcoming bend, per Wales Online.

She also said that she would be writing to the U.K. government to express her concerns about newly qualified drivers being allowed to carry passengers, the outlet added.

PEOPLE has contacted the senior coroner for North West Wales for further comment.

Tributes of the boys’ loved ones were read out by the coroner, per The Times and BBC.

“As a family we are heartbroken at losing Wilf, but we are also heartbroken about how difficult it has been for the other parents — particularly for the parents of the driver,” said Fitchett’s mother Heather Sanderson. “We gave Wilf permission to go because we believed that the driver had passed his driving test — which he had.” 

She added, “We had done our research and we would make the same decision again. We were blessed to have him in our lives for 17 years. We are proud to be his family.”

Morris’ parents’ tribute read that he had a “thirst for life.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“No words can express our loss,” they said. “He was happy and looking forward to the weekend. The world is shattered, bent and crooked now. We know what he went on to do would have been wonderful.”

Hirst’s mother also said, “Jevon liked to socialize with his friends. He was a very loving son. He loved the outdoors and going walking. He was very close to his grandfather and loved to visit him in Harlech.”

Owen’s mother, Crystal, added that her son was “perfect from the minute he came into the world and continued to be until he was tragically taken from us.” 

“Every parent’s worst nightmare came true,” she stated before adding that their family had “a lifetime of grieving the life he should be living.”