A well-known Leicester businessman is likely to have suffered a “cardiac event” at the wheel of his Bentley, causing him to lose control and crash – killing himself and his son – a coroner has concluded.
An inquest heard how Simon and Harry Hill died instantly when the Bentley Bentayga they were in left the A50 dual carriageway near Derby. It struck a bridge pillar between junction 3 at Chellaston and junction 4, by Toyota, on April 16 this year.
The men were part of the senior team at the family-owned fleet management business Total Motion, based in Leicester’s Meridian Business Park.
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Simon Hill, 54, from Woodhouse Eaves, was group managing director of the business, which he founded in his front room in 1999, and which was named Company of the Year at the 2018 Leicester Mercury Business Awards.
His son, a former Loughborough College student who was 29 and married, was head of fleet at the business. Both were well known members of the local business scene.
At the time of the tragedy their family wrote: “This is a very shocking and painful moment for everyone that had the privilege of knowing them.
“There are no words that can describe how much they mean to us, please keep them in your hearts.”
In reaching a conclusion that both men died as a result of a road traffic collision, coroner Susan Evans said: “On the 16th of April 2023 Simon Hill was driving a vehicle on the A50 eastbound towards the Arleston Lane overbridge at Stenson.
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“The vehicle moved from lane two into lane one and from there onto the grass verge before then mounting the nearside barrier.
“The position of the vehicle was such that the barrier ran centrally along the underside of the vehicle with the wheels either side, thus depriving the driver of any control over the vehicle. The vehicle struck the side of the bridge head-on.
“He and the passenger of the vehicle, Harry Hill, died at the scene from the injuries sustained. A post-mortem examination revealed that there was a possibility that he had suffered an acute cardiac event leading to loss of control of the vehicle.”
Leicester business consultant Ian Guyler had worked with the pair over the years and counted them among his friends. He said: "It was always great fun – and challenging – working with Simon and Harry.
"Both were larger-than-life characters and Simon was always very supportive of charity and generous in supporting events such as the L Factor and The Gauntlet, which brought the city business community together. My condolences go to their family."