A DRUNK driver and a passenger died after their car spun out of control on the way from the pub to a nightclub and smashed head-first into a van.
Mechanic Mr Etherington (20), who was not wearing his seat belt, and front seat passenger Alastair Beveridge (25) both died at the scene.
The pair had gone to play pool at the Royal Exchange pub in Lindford where they met three friends for a drink.
Their inquest heard on Monday that both men had drunk five pints of Fosters larger before leaving the pub at closing time.
All five went back to Mr EtheringtonÕs flat in Chase Road, Lindford, and decided to continue drinking at BordonÕs Oasis nightclub.
Etherington offered to drive his friends to their homes to change and get more money, and all five left in his D-registration car shortly before 11-25 pm.
When asked if he was sober enough to drive Etherington told his friends: ÒI wouldnÕt get into the car and drive if I wasnÕt okay.Ó
As they drove towards Bordon on the B3002, Mr Etherington lost control of the car after negotiating the bend at the Lindford bridge and smashed into the van of Gavin Baldwin.
Landscaper Mr Baldwin (27) of Headley Road, Grayshott, was uninjured in the accident and was pulled to safety by a passing motorist.
When police arrived Baldwin failed an alcohol breath test and was found to have 91 milligrammes of alcohol in his blood Ð above the legal driving limit of 80.
He was recently prosecuted successfully for drink driving.
An off duty paramedic stopped at the scene but could not revive either Mr Etherington or Mr Beveridge.
Two male passengers received cuts and bruises while the female passenger suffered fractures to her skull, pelvis and left foot.
Passenger Steven Maher told the inquest he thought Mr Etherington was driving too quickly and warned him to slow down moments before the fatal crash.
He said: ÒWe set off from KevinÕs in his Ford Fiesta, but I had never driven with him before so I didnÕt know what he was like.
ÒAs we went around the corner I remember saying to him Ôcalm downÕ and then the car filled up with light and I woke up in hospital.Ó
Post mortem tests carried out on the two friends at BasingstokeÕs North Hampshire Hospital confirmed that both had been drinking.
The driver had 90 milligrammes of alcohol in his blood and 137 milligrammes in his urine. The legal limit for urine is 107 milligrammes.
Their inquest heard that Mr Etherington died from a ruptured liver and Mr Beveridge, of Jacaranda Road in Bordon, died of multiple injuries sustained in the accident.
An investigation carried out by Hampshire ConstabularyÕs Collision Investigation Unit concluded that the final positions of the car meant that Mr EtheringtonÕs Fiesta, not the Fiat, was in the wrong lane at the time of impact.
Further tests on a similar Fiesta showed that when fully laden the carÕs back end tended to slide out at 30 and 35 miles an hour.
In recording a verdict of accidental death on both men, north Hampshire coroner Andrew Bradley said: ÒI am always touched by the loss of two young lives with so much to live for.
ÒUnfortunately road traffic accidents of this sort will be one of the things I will be seeing in ten years time.
ÒAs long as there are cars on the road and young people driving them, this is going to happen.
ÒThis crash was caused by the combined effects of the speed of the vehicle and its instability caused by the weight it was carrying.
ÒThis combined with the effects of the alcohol in Kevin Etherington, which affected his judgement in driving on that night.Ó
Verdict: Accident.