18-year-old Umar Kamani, who appeared in Freddie Flintoff’s show Field of Dreams, lost control of his car while speeding at nearly 80mph on a bend, an inquest heard
A teen who appeared on Freddie Flintoff’s Field Of Dreams was driving at over 80mph on a 30mph road before he died, and inquest has heard.
Umar Mahmood, 18, suffered serious injuries when his Audi A3, left the road and hit trees on Chain Caul Way in Preston, Lancashire on Tuesday, around 11pm on September 10, 2024. He later died from his injuries in hospital.
Another pupil at the school, 16-year-old Adam Bodi, also died in the tragedy. Coroner Kate Bissett said the teenagers’ deaths had been caused by “a terrible misjudgement” and were an “utter tragedy”.
An inquest has now heard that Mahmood’s Audi A3 Sport hit a kerb four times before crashing into two trees and overturning on its side. Bodi, 16, died when he was catapulted into and over the front seat forcing the driver into the dashboard – he was not wearing a seatbelt.
Lancashire Police collision investigator PC Anthony Grey told the court airbag sensors showed the car had hit over 80mph just before impact on the road (over twice the speed limit), striking the first tree at 78.9mph. He confirmed the car had no mechanical faults when the crash occurred on Chain Caul Way in Preston, a mild S-bend road.
Two passers-by, Andrew Hood and Harry Worthington, were first to spot the aftermath of the crash and described seeing a “dark shape” in the road which was the vehicle’s engine. They tried to pull the teenagers from the wreck, fearing the Audi might explode as they smelled fuel.
Adam sadly died in hospital hours later, and Umar passed two days after the crash. Coroner Kate Bissett concluded both died from traumatic brain and lung injuries caused by a road traffic collision, calling the loss “a tragedy that the families will do well to ever recover from”.
Umar had previously appeared on Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams BBC show. A statement read at the time of the deaths: “We are again saddened as a school to hear the news Umar, who was in the same accident as Adam, and who left Priory two years ago, has also passed away. Another boy, 17, suffered serious injuries in the crash and is in a stable condition in hospital.
“Umar was a bright, studious and well-loved member of our school community. He had a passion for Geography as well as his cricket, playing for Priory’s school team and appearing in the BBC One documentary Freddie Flintoff’s Field of Dreams.
“It was a privilege for us here at Priory to know Umar. He was a young man who was always considerate to those around him and who showed ambition and kindness in all that he did.
“It is of course with great sadness we hear this news. We give our sincere condolences to all of Umar’s family and friends on behalf of the school, at what will be a very difficult time. They too, are in our thoughts and prayers today.”
The school said of Adam: “Adam was an amazing pupil, of whom we have nothing but fantastic memories. He was popular, bright, confident and had a fantastic sense of humour alongside being a first-class footballer, who had been part of our football team here at Priory for five years.
“We know that the rest of his year group will be equally upset at losing one of their own. Adam was a fantastic young man, and he, his family and friends are very much in our thoughts and prayers.”
Flintoff suffered his own car crash in December 2022 which nearly claimed his life. The star had been driving an open-topped three-wheeled Morgan Super 3 at high speed when it flipped over. He later said of the accident: “Week and a half after my accident. Genuinely should not be here after what happened.
“This is going to be a long road back and I have only just started and I am struggling already. I need help. I really am not the best at asking for it. I need to stop crying every two minutes.
“I thought I could just shake it off. I wanted to shake it off and say ‘here I am, I’m alright’. But it’s not been a case of that, it’s been a lot harder than I thought. As much as I wanted to go out and do things, I have just not been able to.”
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
