Eleven men who died in the Shoreham Airshow plane crash in 2015 were unlawfully killed, a coroner has ruled
Coroner Penelope Schofield concluded on Tuesday it was possible that two cyclists who died during the disaster seven years ago would not have been killed had road signs for pedestrians in the area been clearer.
She said it would have been “completely understandable for a cyclist” to be “wholly unaware” that a lights crossing on the A27 had been disabled.
“Whilst I can’t determine what Mr Smith and Mr Archer would have done, I find that it is possible they would have taken a different route with their bicycles that day, and would not have been standing at the junction when the plane crashed,” she said.
Delivering her narrative verdict of an unlawful killing for all 11 men, the coroner said: “Eleven innocent lives were cruelly lost on 22 August 2015. Lives that were cut way too short.
“This huge loss will be worn by the families for the rest of their lives.”
She added: “It has been a long journey, some seven years for you, to get the answers you wanted.
“It has been a difficult journey getting to this stage. I hope you feel that through these proceedings, you now have a voice.”
