Kal Biggins: Tragedy as popular Sheffield man died after losing control of his 'pride and joy' car

The inquest into the death of 31-year-old Kal Thomas Biggins found that he died following a collision on Hanover Way on December 9, 2021.

It was heard at the Medico-Legal Centre today in Sheffield that Mr Biggins, of Whiting Street, Meersbrook, came off the road at around 9pm before the car he was driving – a ‘substantially’ modified Toyota MR2 – landed on its roof close to the pedestrian underpass to Headford Street. He was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

In a statement read out by coroner Tanyka Rawden, Mr Biggins’ mother, Susan Gardener, described him as a “well respected person with a large circle of good friends”. He had a close relationship with his two older sisters, and he “enjoyed being in the presence of his family”.

Mr Biggins attended King Edward VII School before studying at Norton Arts College. He then went on to work in the film industry for a Sheffield-based company and frequently commuted to London by car. He was described as an “experienced” driver who passed his driving test at 17.

He bought his Toyota in January 2021 and his car was described as his “pride and joy”. He would frequently attend car meets with his friends.

In the days leading up to his death, Mr Biggins had called his mum to tell her he had finished work for Christmas and the pair had arranged to meet on December 10 or 11 for a catch-up. He tragically died before they were able to see each other again.

Sergeant John Taylor, lead investigator of the Serious Collisions Investigation Unit at South Yorkshire Police, said the Toyota was ‘quite substantially’ modified with what were described as ‘competition items’, including a new engine and a steering wheel without an airbag, however he said ‘no defects’ were found with the vehicle which would have caused or contributed to the incident.

The police investigation found the most likely cause of the incident was ‘harsh acceleration’, which caused Mr Biggins to leave the road and hit items of street furniture, before becoming ‘airborne’ and landing in the underpass.

Sergeant Taylor said: “You cannot discount the vehicle’s modifications as being contributory. The suspension may have made it more susceptible to instability in certain circumstances.

“The primary causation would appear to rest with the actions of the driver who was likely travelling in excess of the speed limit.”

A postmortem examination read out by Ms Rawden gave a medical cause of death of multiple injuries which indicated “almost immediate death”.

A toxicology analysis found that Mr Biggins did not have any alcohol, medication or illicit substances in his system.

Ms Rawden said: "I’d like to offer my condolences to Mr Biggins’ mum, his sisters and all of his family and friends. He was clearly a very well-liked gentleman, and I’m sure that you all miss him terribly, and I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

She concluded that the cause of death was a road traffic collision.