Euan Coulthard’s death was an accident, says inquest

The death of Euan Coulthard has been declared an accident, an inquest has revealed today.

The inquest heard Euan had 167mg of alcohol in 100ml of his blood when he was found, which was over twice the 80mg drink drive limit.

Euan was asked to leave Loveshack by door staff on a Wednesday night after he was seen to be unsteady on his feet.

It is still not yet known where the popular Law second year fell into the river, and why he went down there.

Durham Police say there is nothing suspicious about his death.

Euan’s family, who attended the inquest, but left before medical evidence was heard, said: “Euan’s tragic death in the River Wear has left his mother, father and sister profoundly distressed and heartbroken.

“Euan, his smile like the rising sun, was a joy to all who knew and loved him.

“Academically gifted, talented and hard-working, he was the first in his family to go to university.

“The world is now a much poorer place without this fine young man, our beautiful son Euan.

“We would like to thank again all those who helped in the search for Euan: the Police, Teesdale and Weardale Search and Mountain Rescue Team, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, the local community and Euan’s fellow students, as well as the diver who found Euan.”

This comes after a number of measures have been taken to curb excessive drinking in Durham, such as breathalysing on club doors, and a £50,000 Durham Student Union campaign.

The Pro-Vice Chancellor, Graham Towl said: “The students and staff at St. Mary’s College and the wider University are still trying to come to terms with the tragic death of Euan.

“He is deeply missed and we continue to help each other and provide support to the many people who are profoundly affected and distressed by Euan’s death.

“As a University, we are working as part of the City Safety Group and with our students to look at what more we can do.

“We have further developed our education programme on personal safety and we are working closely with our Students’ Union which has been very active in helping to address these difficult issues.”