A MAN who was driving a car which was involved in an accident in which four people died was found hanged.

An inquest heard that Artur Pawlak had previously tried to commit suicide because of the guilt he felt over the deaths.

And at a previous inquest into the deaths of the crash victims Mr Pawlak asked if he had been to blame for the accident.

Mr Pawlak, aged 37, died at Dorset County Hospital on July 19 after being found hanged from a banister at his home.

Mr Pawlak, from Dorchester Road, Weymouth, had previously received treatment by medical staff at the Forston Clinic near Dorchester after attempting suicide twice in one day back in June.

At that time he expressed feelings of guilt for the traffic accident that happened in February 2008.

Mr Pawlak had been the driver of a car with three co-workers on board that crashed with another car, driven by student nurse Alison Graff, 26.

The crash on the C12 Old Sherborne Road killed the three passengers in Mr Pawlak’s car – Damien Galusik, 32, Andrzej Adam Kuc, 48, and Adam Podsiadlo, 28 – as well as Mrs Graff.

Mr Pawlak was seriously injured and had to be airlifted to hospital.

An inquest into the crash deaths recorded a verdict of accidental death caused by multiple injuries for all four victims.

Dorset Police said that at the time of the accident the road had been icy and that this was likely to have contributed to the accident.

At that inquest Mr Pawlak asked collision investigators if he had been to blame.

The court heard a witness statement from Dorset Police PC Nicholas Gravenor.

He said that he had attended Mr Pawlak’s house on the evening of July 18 and found Mr Pawlak’s son Patrick and wife Anette there.

He said he had spoken to Patrick and that the son had found his father hanged from the banister. He then lifted him down and started CPR.

PC Gravenor added that Patrick had been angry with the ambulance services and said that they had not come quickly enough but the court heard evidence that an ambulance was on scene within 13 minutes of the 999 call being made.

Deputy Coroner Alan Horne said that Mr Pawlak had been ‘deeply troubled’ by the accident and blamed himself even though it was not his fault.

He said he had received an assessment and suggestions had been made for on going care but Mr Pawlak never replied to the letter. He added: “There is nothing in the evidence to suggest Artur Pawlak intended the consequences of his actions that day.”

“I find that Artur Tomasz Pawlak a 37-year-old welder of Dorchester Road, Weymouth died on July 19 at Dorset County Hospital. The cause of death was hypoxic brain injury and asphyxiation consistent with hanging.

“I record an open verdict.”

Mr Pawlak’s family were not in court to hear the verdict.

Accident remains a mystery

Four people died in the horror crash on the C12 Old Sherborne Road in February, 2008 Mr Pawlak, 34, was taking three colleagues to work in Pulham when the crash happened.

At an inquest into the victims’ deaths Mr Pawlak, asked collision investigator PC Clifton Beard if the smash near Cerne Abbas near was his fault. PC Beard replied that it was inappropriate for him to answer.

PC Beard said investigations indicated Mrs Graff’s car was travelling straight before the crash. The inquest heard it was impossible to determine either vehicle’s speed from the evidence available, conditions were icy and there was a ridge in the road.

West Dorset coroner Michael Johnson recorded a verdict of accidental death for all four victims. Mr Johnston said: “What I can say for certain is that Mrs Graff’s car was on the correct side of the road and the collision occurred when the Nissan came across on to her side of the road. “What I can’t say, and I’m not even sure that I have great suspicions about, is why that should have happened.”