A loving dad from Plumstead died when he swerved sharply and crashed his car into a safety barrier minutes after overtaking a lorry 'at speed', an inquest heard.

Warehouse manager James Gosnell veered across three lanes on the M20 to the hard shoulder after his Jaguar X-type suffered a deflated tyre on March 31.

The 32-year-old, of Clothworkers Road, was not wearing a seatbelt and was thrown from the car, landing on the grass verge. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

His inquest was held at Archbishop's Palace in Maidstone today (September 9) - where his cause of death was recorded as multiple injuries, as a result of a road traffic collision.

Mr Gosnell, who was originally from Farnborough, was driving an automatic after a previous motorcycle accident left him without the use of his left arm, PC Graham Holdstock said.

A toxicology report found Mr Gosnell had traces of multiple painkillers - tramadol, paracetamol and ibuprofen - in his system, which may have accounted for a reduced driving ability.

However, as the amount of tramadol taken could not be quantified, coroner Patricia Harding did not include the medication as a cause of death.

Drivers witnessed Mr Gosnell overtaking a lorry and saw a puff of smoke coming from the car, consistent with the burst tyre on the nearside rear wheel.

Mr Gosnell's speedometer was stuck at 115mph and 5,000 revs when he crashed at 11.25am - however one witness believed he was travelling at around 80mph.

A collision investigation report by PC James Kirk ruled he was driving over the 70mph speed limit.

The coroner recorded a verdict of road traffic collision.

After the inquest, sales assistant Helena Gosnell said in tribute to her husband: "James was a wonderful father, and a lovely husband.

"He was probably one of the most generous men I have ever met, and he will be greatly missed by our family.

"I know that he was a loving brother, and his parents have lost a son on that terrible day.

"He will be sadly missed not just by the family but by all the people who knew him."

James' father John Gosnell added: "The loss of our son has been so dramatic to all our lives.

"He was a man of great integrity, and would give up time to help others at the drop of a hat.

"He was a wonderful son, brother, husband and father.

"He was and always will be my mate."

If you would like to leave a tribute to Mr Gosnell, email josie.griffiths@london.newsquest.co.uk

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