Three people were killed on the A13 in Wennington Marshes last July when their car lost control due to surface water and crashed into a stationary van which had been involved in an earlier collision.
Coroner Nadia Persaud told a hearing at East London Coroner’s Court on Wednesday (July 23) that her inquest would investigate whether police had done all they should to clear the road after the first collision.
The three people killed were 24-year-old paralegal Davina Ruprah, from Dagenham; 36-year-old customer service adviser Kiranjeet Sagoo, from Ilford; and 19-year-old student and bartender Sachin Kalia, from Barking.
The front seat passenger from their car survived the collision on July 15, 2024, but Mrs Persaud ruled he would not be asked to give a statement or testify.
“I don’t think I’m going to get any assistance at all from him,” she said.
“He was involved in a very, very, very traumatic collision and I know that the family here, who are in court, are nodding. They don’t want evidence to be sought from him.”
A pre-inquest review heard there were two collisions that night – one at 9.12pm and one at 10.04pm.
After the first, an entry was placed on a police computer system which said “ASNT” – an acronym for “area searched, no trace”.
Mrs Persaud said she would need evidence from those updating the computer records and those who had attended and searched the area.
“Where did they go?” she asked. “What did they find? I need to see that.
“I would like a statement from a senior officer explaining what happens when a call is received like this.
“What are the police procedures in relation to removing hazards from the roads, and what are the timescales within which they should be removed?”
Other questions to be explored, she said, would be when the drains and gulleys along the road had last been cleaned, what systems were in place to track and warn drivers of “treacherous weather conditions”, and “communication and liaison systems between Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police Service”.
Both forces are “interested parties” in the inquest – set for next March – as are Transport for London and a road management firm.
