A FATHER who died when his car left the road near Rhiwderin had traces of cannabis in his system, an inquest has heard.

Paul Mark Mills died when his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo left the A468 on the evening of Saturday September 26, last year.

Newport Coroner’s Court heard how the man, who worked as a delivery driver at Dominos Pizza, lost control on an S-bend while travelling from Caerphilly to Newport.

The 41-year-old died from his injuries at hospital four hours after the incident.

Giving evidence, Mr Mills's partner Lowri Morgan said that his life-long hobby was his car and that he had held a driving licence since the age of 17.

She said: “He was the type of person who would drive with the window down so he could hear the sound of the engine and see if anything was wrong.”

He was also described as a “devoted father” by Ms Mills, who was waiting for him to come home on the night of the crash as they had plans to go to out with friends.

Shift manager at Dominos Pizza in Blackwood, Joseph Conrad Dunstan, confirmed Mr Mills had left work at 9.10pm on the evening of the crash and had worked at the store for three to four years.

“He was a lovely man and everyone liked him," he said.

Witness, Neil Gerraint Rees was at driving on the A468 at the time of the crash and saw Mr Mill's car strike a kerb before veering off the road into some bushes, destroying a roadside sign.

PC Anthony Parker, of Gwent Police’s collision investigation unit, confirmed the car left the road at 10.20pm on a bend approaching Rhiwderin village.

He said that there were no defects to the car and the surface of the road and that the car was travelling at around 59mph, the “critical speed” for taking the bend.

A post mortem revealed that Mr Mills, from Ystrad Mynch, died as the result of “several fractures to the skull.”

Toxicology reports also revealed traces of cannabis in his bloodstream but “it was not possible to determine” whether this caused the crash.

Summing up, Coroner David.T.Bowen, said: “I’m satisfied that there are no other people involved in the incident and there were no defects to the vehicle and road surface and the weather was almost perfect.

“The likely reason for the loss of control of this car was that he was simply driving too fast for the bend that he was trying to negotiate.”

He added: “Traces of cannabis were found in his bloodstream and may have been a contributing factor.”

The cause of death was said determined as accidental.