A RALLY driver who broke his neck in a crash during an off-road race in Tidworth decided he would rather die than live paralysed, an inquest heard.

Raymond Kempster, 48, was taking part in the Sidbury Safari event at Sidbury Hill on March 13 when he crashed and the car rolled several times.

Paul Vigen, a steward at the event, told the inquest, held in Salisbury on Wednesday, that when he got to the car Mr Kempster was conscious and breathing but only able to move his eyes.

He was cut from the wreckage and taken to Salisbury District Hospital where it was discovered he had fractured two vertebrae.

He was told the damage would mean he would be permanently paralysed from the neck down and would need a tracheotomy to breathe.

Deputy assistant coroner Ian Singleton read a statement from Mr Kempster’s wife Yvonne that said she and her husband were both members of the All Wheel Drive Club and had had many conversations about the dangers of motor racing.

They had spoken about quality of life and he had said he would not wish to live in such circumstances.

The doctors explained to both Mr and Mrs Kempster, from Chipping Norton in Oxfordshire, what removing his breathing tube would mean and that he could change his mind at any point but he made the decision to go ahead.

The tube was removed at 8.30am on March 15 and he died at 10.30am.

Navigator Andrew Dennis, who was also in the car, escaped with minor injuries.

John Symes, a technical expert, told the inquest he checked the vehicle and found no faults. “There is an inherent risk in motor sports,” he said.

“The same accident could happen many times without these consequences. It’s an accumulation of a number of factors and a small change in one of them, such as the angle of the seat or how tight your harness is, can make a big difference.”

Verdict: accidental death.