'Amazing' dad left to die in car by friend who crashed and fled the scene

A heartbroken woman has paid tribute to her 'amazing' husband who tragically lost his life after his friend, under the influence of drugs, crashed his car and left him to die. Kevin Viles, 41, had been enjoying an evening at a pub in Widnes with his mate Haydn Patterson on Monday, October 17, 2022.

After spending roughly two hours at the pub, they departed in Patterson's Mini Cooper around 5.40pm. Patterson, 30, drove towards Runcorn, crossing the Mersey Gateway bridge and onto the Central Expressway. Around 5.55pm, he turned onto the Southern Expressway where he lost control of the vehicle and crashed, as reports the ECHO.

Chester Crown Court heard on Tuesday, May 14, that Patterson managed to escape from the wreckage, briefly spoke to a witness, and then fled the scene on foot, leaving Kevin trapped in the car with severe injuries.

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Emergency services were summoned to the scene and Kevin was later extricated from the car before being transported to Aintree University Hospital. Patterson was later discovered by officers at his home in Widnes, where he was seen discarding wraps of cocaine and cannabis out of the window, before again attempting to flee on foot, but was swiftly located and arrested in connection with the incident, reports North Wales Live.

Patterson was subsequently taken to hospital for precautionary measures, where officers were able to conduct a breath test and take a blood sample. The results revealed that he was under the influence of both cocaine and cannabis at the time of the crash with both amounts exceeding the specified limits for driving.

During interrogation, Patterson confessed to being the driver of the car, but tried to argue that the crash had been caused by another vehicle which had veered into his lane a claim that was refuted by both eyewitnesses and the forensic collision investigator.

Despite his denial, he was later charged in relation to the incident. While in hospital, doctors discovered that Kevin had sustained non-survivable brain and chest injuries due to the crash, and he passed away with his family by his side on Friday, November 18 2022.

Patterson received a nine-year prison sentence; he is required to serve a minimum of six years of this sentence. Upon release, he will remain on licence until the end of the nine-year sentence. He pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving while over the drug drive limit (cocaine and cannabis). Join our WhatsApp news community here for the latest breaking news.

He also admitted to possession of class A drugs (cocaine) and possession of class B drugs (cannabis). Following Patterson's sentencing, Kevin's wife Emma paid tribute to her husband.

She expressed: "Kev was not only my husband, but my best friend, my soul mate and a shoulder to cry on when I needed it. He fought so very hard to heal and recover from his injuries, to be back with me and our four children, Nathan, Jessica, Amber and Kaylee and not forgetting his precious grandson Kairo."

"Sadly Kev lost the battle on the 18th November, with myself and our daughter holding his hand all the way. I will forever be grateful for the 33 days we got to spend with you in the hospital praying and hoping every day for a miracle."

"Life is never going to be the same for any of us without him, he was our big friendly giant, who would do absolutely anything for anyone. Kev always put people before himself he was selfless and caring. Our kids meant the world to Kev and he would always go above and beyond to ensure they were his number one priority."

"Although you sleep in heaven now, you're not that far away, my heart is full of memories and you're with me every day. You lived your life with meaning and with a smile upon your silly face. A world that was full of happiness is now an empty place."

"Our life together had only just begun now our babies had all grown up, but now I'm here doing it all on my own wishing things were so different. I'll never understand why you Kev my husband my one and only true love, had to be taken away so soon from me."

"I miss your warmth, I miss your amazing smile, I wish I could see your face again even for a little while. I love you forever and a day Kev. In my heart I know that we will be together again in time."

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