THIS time last year, 19-year-old Sophie Smith was in Trafford Park when an illegal car meet was taking place.

Tragedy struck, Sophie was hit by a car, and the following day Sophie died of her injuries.

Yesterday, as an inquest into her death concluded, a jury found that Sophie died after being “struck by a car, driven by an uninsured, unlicensed person while he was performing a dangerous manoeuvre”, known as drifting.

The inquest revealed that the illegal car meets had been flagged up as an issue back in 2014.

Car cruises are illegal gatherings of motor enthusiasts where people discuss vehicles, meet friends, and in some cases, carry out dangerous driving manoeuvres including speeding, racing and drifting.

But despite the best intentions of individuals on Trafford Council and in Greater Manchester Police, their response was ineffective, slowed down by bureaucracy, limited resources and poor communication.

Sophie’s family have said: “This past year has been the worst of our lives . . . Dangerous driving destroys lives. All this could have been prevented, and while we have now been given some answers on what happened at Trafford Park, it will never bring Sophie back to us.

“We really hope that lessons can be learned from our tragedy as we don’t want any other family to go through what we have.”

Sophie's poor family are right, lessons need to be learned, and quickly.