A TEENAGER who died in a head-on crash was more than three times over the drink drive limit, an inquest heard.

James Langrish had been drinking on a night out with friends when he decided to drive home in the early hours of the morning.

But family members said he was normally very responsible and that such actions were out of character for him, leaving them 'at a loss' to explain why he got behind the wheel after a night out.

The 19-year-old's car collided with a lorry on the A32 between Wickham and Knowle on August 22 last year.

Toxicology tests revealed Mr Langrish, who died from head injuries at the scene, had been 3.1 times the drink drive limit.

Witnesses described how his car had come across the road at a bend.

A crash investigator said Mr Langrish's black Corsa was likely travelling at around 75 miles an hour at the time of the crash on the 50mph road.

She added that the most likely reason that the Corsa had come across the road was a "combination of the Corsa's speed and the driver being over 3.1 times the limit".

She said the vehicle's speed required suitable control of the vehicle, however this control may have been impaired due to alcohol.

Robert Chen, a close friend of Mr Langrish, told the inquest in Portsmouth how they had spent the day together in Port Solent then gone on to meet up with friends.

He said Mr Langrish, a former Portsmouth Grammar School pupil, had bought a two-litre bottle of cider, which he drunk, then he had another pint of cider at a tapas bar and a couple of vodka shots back at a friends house.

The group then headed out to the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Portsmouth at around midnight.

Mr Chen said they got a drink at the bar but had got separated and he had expected to find Mr Langrish back at his house in Portsmouth as he normally stayed over after a night out, but found his car gone when he returned.

Mr Langrish was on a gap year and was to go to university the following month but was working at Greens pub in Wickham Square as a kitchen porter.

His mother Joanne said she had last seen her son the day before his death when she had asked if he would buy some petrol and mow the lawn.

She returned to find the lawn mowed and a receipt for the petrol and some mints that he had left with a mint on top of the receipt.

Sobbing, Mrs Langrish said her son was a "funny, caring and very responsible young man" and said James had become the man of the house when she and her husband separated.

"He really really was my rock," she told the inquest.

"He was a pleasure to spend time with. He was brought up with the right morals and values and it's such a shock to me - the circumstances of his death were not what I would expect of James."

His father David, from Knowle, said his son was usually responsible and never drove after drinking and he was "at a loss as to why he made that decision."

Coroner for Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Robert Stone recorded a verdict of accidental death.

In a statement after the inquest the family said: "James was a delightful, funny, thoughtful son, brother, nephew and grandson who touched the lives of so many with his caring personality.

"He was a normally responsible and conscientious young man. Achieving so much in his short life.

"The circumstances leading up to his untimely death will never be fully understood. Something went terribly wrong for him.

"We do know it was never his intention to drive home that fateful night and whatever led him to make the decision must have been, to him, unavoidable.

"Circumstances conspired against him and took the life of such a special person with a promising future ahead of him.

"We are totally devastated and our lives will never be the same without him."