A former England rugby player who drowned trying to cross a swollen ford in his 4×4 during a storm was almost three times over the drink-drive limit, an inquest has been told. Tom Voyce, 43, died while trying to cross the River Aln in Northumberland in his Toyota Hilux in December, as Storm Darragh passed through the UK. His body was found days later in deep water after a major search.
An inquest at County Hall, Morpeth, Northumberland, was told that Mr Voyce had attended a shoot at his brother-in-law’s farm on 7 December last year, then spent the evening with him and two other men in the Queen’s Head pub in Glanton.
Coroner Andrew Hetherington ruled the death was an accident and found that Mr Voyce had not taken his usual route home in the prevailing conditions that night. Hugh Wood, brother of Voyce’s widow Anna, told the hearing he last saw his brother-in-law at about 11.45pm in the bar. There had been a shoot with about 16 guests but it was hampered by the weather and people helped themselves to a bottle of port during the day, Mr Wood said.
The event ended at 5.30pm when everyone was extremely wet. Mr Wood said they drank alcohol in the pub, but he observed no ill-effects in Mr Voyce that evening. Mr Wood said the storm left local roads waterlogged. Some parts were flooded and winds were gusting at 30mph that night.
He estimated the distance to the Voyces’ home in Alnwick was about eight miles. Anna Voyce raised the alarm the next day when her husband failed to come home and Mr Wood said “it dawned on us to look in the fords and that’s where we came across his vehicle”.
Pathologist Dr Clive Bloxham told the hearing that the cause of death was immersion in water. A diver found him on 12 December in two metres of water in a mill pond.
Dr Bloxham said there were no signs of external or internal damage and that Mr Voyce was “a well-built, muscular man”. Toxicology tests showed no sign of drugs “but he did have a high blood alcohol level”, Dr Bloxham said.
A reading of 215 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood was detected. The drink-drive limit is 80 milligrams. “This is over two-and-a-half, nearly three times that limit,” Dr Bloxham said. “Despite the possibility of tolerance to drinking alcohol, this level would be expected to have impaired his co-ordination and judgment. You would expect him to have a significant degree of intoxication with this level and impaired decision-making prior to his death.”
Lisa Chisholm, publican at the Queen’s Head, said Voyce had a bar tab which he settled before leaving and she estimated he had drunk about four bottles of Magners cider, and bought drinks for other people. She said Mr Voyce, who was not a regular, was “good conversation” and stood at the end of the bar in good spirits.
Detective Constable Victoria Henderson, who led the police inquiry, said accident investigators found part of the Hilux’s number plate had broken off at the water’s edge, indicating the vehicle had approached Abberwick ford at speed. The car was in reverse gear which led to the belief that Mr Voyce may have tried to go back the way he came when the vehicle stalled in the water.
It was subsequently damaged by repeatedly hitting a footbridge near the ford, before water levels dropped, allowing it under the bridge. She said it was unclear if Mr Voyce had tried to get out of the vehicle or if he had been swept away by the force of the water. She said that a ford warning road sign would have been visible, but the depth pole showing the height of the flood was submerged on the other side of the crossing.
Mrs Voyce asked about the possibility of barriers being put in the ford to stop vehicles being washed away, as had happened at other local crossings, and the coroner said he will pass on the suggestion to Northumberland County Council and Northumbria Police.
Mr Hetherington said flooding would have given the illusion that the road was flat when in reality the ford dropped 6ft. After his death, Mrs Voyce said in a statement: “Absolutely devastated and heartbroken doesn’t even describe how we feel.” The couple, who had a son, Oscar, moved to Northumberland where Mr Voyce set up a business, having previously worked in banking after he retired from rugby.
Former teammates expressed their shock and sadness when he went missing, including Matt Dawson and Lawrence Dallaglio.
Mr Voyce started his senior playing career at Bath, then spent six years with Wasps where he helped them win European and domestic titles, before leaving to join Gloucester in 2009. He won nine caps for England and made 220 Premiership appearances before retiring in May 2013.
