FOUR festival-goers were killed on the A420 when their car struck another vehicle belonging to a family coming home from Abingdon, an inquest heard today.

Brogan Warren, 21, Sam Kay, 26, Nicoletta Tocco, 25, and Sam Jones, 23, were all on their way back from a vegan festival in Bristol when their Citroen Saxo suffered ‘catastrophic damage’ after colliding with another car near Shrivenham in May.

Jean-Paul Gashema, from Swindon, his wife Cabren and their three-year-old son Ethan - in the other car - survived, needing only hospital treatment.

The inquest heard that driver Mr Jones was on the wrong side of the road causing the head-on crash.

A toxicology report for Mr Jones revealed alcohol and cannabis in his blood at the time of the crash but both were deemed not to have caused the crash due to their small quantities.

Following evidence from collision investigator PC James Henderson, Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter said that ‘driver fatigue or driver distraction’ was the most likely cause.

Mr Gashema told the court: “I saw another a car on my side of the road coming towards me. The lights seemed to be bouncing around.

“The other car was coming straight at us. I had time to think to myself ‘what are they doing, are they foreign and driving on the wrong side?’”

The 39-year-old said he flashed his headlights but as the cars got closer he realised swerving to the right was the only way to avoid the crash.

However, Mr Jones did the same and the cars collided in the middle of the road.

PC Henderson said the Saxo ‘crumpled’ on impact and flipped in the air landing

Passer-by Mark Dawson stopped to help and when Mr Gashema emerged from the car and the pair rushed to check on Ethan before taking him to safety.

Ambulance crews arrived at 11.25pm but the four in the Saxo were pronounced dead at the scene.

Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter said: “I couldn’t say that alcohol or cannabis caused or contributed to this collision because the evidence isn’t there for it.

“That leads us to fatigue, perhaps nodding off at the wheel, or some kind of distraction inside or outside the vehicle.”

He recorded a conclusion of accidental death by road traffic collision.

The group of friends, who were all from Northampton except Mr Kay who was from Crawley, had been driving back from Bristol festival VegFest at the time of the crash, on May 22.

Brogan Warren’s mother Deborah Byrne said: “The hurt we are feeling is so extreme that it is like our hearts have been torn out.

“Our beautiful special girl brightened up the lives of all around her with her magical soul and her glittery ways.”