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Carl had been on a night out with a friend on the night of Friday 17th march 2006. He and his friend were walking back towards Knottingley, when they were offered a lift by Jamie Crozier. Unbeknown to Carl, Crozier had consumed 4 pints of lager and up to 5 further bottles of Lager. There were now 4 occupants in the Peugeot 206 car, Jamie Crozier driving, His brother Niall in the front passenger seat, and then Carl and his friend in the rear with Carl seated behind the driver.
The 4 young men ended up in Wakefield, and it was on the way home that the crash occured. Crozier went through a set of traffic lights at an excessive speed (50 mph +), failed to negotiate the left hand bend and lost control of the car. It ploughed sideways into a small tree some 100 to 200 metres from the bend. Carl took the full impact of the crash .
Crozier tried to excuse his actions by claiming that he had been "Dazzled" by an oncoming car and had to swerve, a story backed up by his brother Niall, but Carl's Friend who survived the crash was able to tell Police that the two brothers were lying!
In his Pre sentence remarks, Judge James Stewart QC said to Crozier -
"It is true you stayed at the scene to wait for the police but then you set to excuse your behaviour saying that you swerved to avoid a car. This was a plain indication to me you were thinking about yourself and not the unfortunate Carl Ferguson who was lying unconscious in hospital to die two hours later".
Paramedics & medical staff tried repeatedly to resusitate Carl both at the scene and in Hospital, but he was pronounced dead in Pinderfield's Hospital shortly after 8am on the morning of Saturday 18th of March 2006, Ironically, Mothers day occurs this year on the First anniversary of Carl's death.
Carl's Funeral service took place at St Botolph's Church in Knottingley on Friday 31st March 2006, Carl's friends and family packed the Parish Church to its limit and beyond. The minister remarked on the way had a knack of lightening the mood and of making jokes at the right moment. Carl's Friend Mica read a poem she had written about Carl, I was one of the last into St Botolphs, and people were sitting in the aisles and were standing outside, I was genuinely moved by the number of people who had decided to come see Carl off.
After the Funeral service, Carl was cremated at Pontefract Crematorium. Again, many friends of Carl's made the trip to see him off. Another oration, more kind words, then it was time to leave. As the Haunting chords of Heaven struck up, The sun came out and a blast of sunlight hit Carls Coffin, and at that moment I knew he was with us and was OK.
Carl's Ashes were intered at Ferrybridge Cemetery by his Mother Dawn on 23rd June 2006 which would have been Carl's 19th Birthday.
