Two British childhood friends who were on holiday in Turkey died after the quad bike they were riding crashed ‘head-on’ into a minibus, an inquest heard on Monday.

Cory Dove was driving the hired bike with his friend Matthew Steward passenger. 

The young fathers, both 26 and from Harwich in Essex, collided with the minibus just before midnight on May 13, 2024, according to a report from Turkish authorities.

Mr Steward’s parents managed to obtain official Turkish documents, including a report from prosecutors who decided against prosecuting the bus driver.

The report said the collision happened at 11.55pm and was described as ‘head-on’.

Mr Dove ‘crashed his all terrain vehicle… while he was driving fast on the winding road,’ it said.

The bus driver was in his own lane travelling in the opposite direction and the two on the quad bike were thrown from the vehicle, according to the report.

The driver said he was driving to a hotel to pick up staff when the quad bike entered a bend and ‘crossed into my rightful lane’.

The young fathers, both 26 and from Harwich in Essex, collided with the minibus just before midnight on May 13, 2024, according to a report from Turkish authorities (Pictured: Matthew Steward)

Cory Dove (pictured) was driving the hired bike with his friend Matthew Steward the passenger 

Pictured: Mr Steward cuddling with step-daughter Ruby and his sons Leo and Roman

He claimed he had been travelling at 30km/h and was ‘easily able to slow down’ but the quad bike ‘violated the lane and hit my vehicle from the front left side at speed’.

In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Dove’s mother Sarah said her son had two children aged eight and one.

She said the construction worker ‘would give his last pound, he loved his family and friends’.

‘Cory went on holiday with his girlfriend and his two boys,’ she said.

‘He met up with a childhood friend of his. He spent the day with him and in the evening himself and his friend went out… and a bus hit them both.’

Her son ‘grew up on motorbikes and quad bikes – he knew how to ride which makes it so hard to believe he’s gone’.

Mr Steward, an electrical components factory worker, was also a father and his family said he had a passion for metal detecting and for Christmas lights.

‘We were robbed of many fulfilling years. He will be truly missed.’

The bus driver was in his own lane travelling in the opposite direction and the two on the quad bike were thrown from the vehicle, according to the report (pictured: Matthew with partner Dannielle)

The driver said he was driving to a hotel to pick up staff when the quad bike entered a bend and crossed into his lane (Pictured: The scene of the crash)

Mr Steward has been described as a ‘hands-on dad’ by his girlfriend Dannielle (pictured) and heartbroken family

Mr Dove’s partner said that the two men had been travelling to a shop at the time of the crash and had made the journey ‘multiple times’ that day.

Recording a conclusion that both men died as the result of a road traffic collision, the coroner said: ‘There’s a police report but it’s not what I would call a forensic collision investigation here.’

He said there were no details about whether either vehicle had mechanical defects.

Post-mortem examinations conducted in the UK recorded that both men died of multiple traumatic injuries and found that toxicology was ‘non-contributory’, with both men within the legal UK drink-drive limit.

Mr Brookes extended his condolences to family members in court adding: ‘The pain shared I cannot begin to imagine to be honest.’

Mr Steward, had travelled to Turkey on May 12 for a family holiday with his 24-year-old partner Dannielle Rose, a carer, along with her daughter from a previous relationship, Ruby, six, and their son Roman, three.

On the night of May 13, Ms Rose said Mr Steward and Mr Dove left the hotel to go to a shop on the quad bike.

Just hours later, she was told the ‘distressing’ news that they had died and she and Mr Dove’s partner needed to identify the bodies.

Mr Steward’s parents Lisa and Gavin had been searching for answers but claimed they had been ‘lied to’ and given incorrect information, describing the weeks after his death as ‘absolute hell’.