The mother of a young man who was tragically killed in a car crash just weeks after passing his driving test has said his death has left a “massive void” in her family and the community he was from.

In a statement read out at the inquest into the deaths of Luke Lynch and Ronan Melarkey, Luke’s mother said her son was a “loving, kind, considerate son” who carried those qualities with him through his life.

Ms. Lynch said she could go on forever praising her son Luke who was in the “prime of his life “ when taken too soon.

Luke Lynch, Ronan Melarkey and Conan Connolly were on their way back from playing tennis when the Peugeot 206 they were travelling in collided with a tree on the Clones Road, Newtownbutler on August 20, 2017.

Luke (22) was pronounced dead at the scene while Ronan (21) died of his injuries at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) on August 22.

Conan sustained leg and arm injuries in the accident.

“There is a big void in our lives. Life will never be the same again,” read Ms. Lynch’s statement.

“Since Luke has gone, he has taken a chunk of our hearts with him.”

Conan Connolly gave the inquest details of the last hours of the three “inseparable” friends together.

Luke had collected Conan and Ronan before heading to play tennis just outside Newtownbutler at around 6pm.

They finished playing tennis at around 8pm before heading to Clones for a spin.

It was on the way back from Clones just minutes from their homes that accident occurred.

Conan described remembering going around a bend in the road before the car “just went” and started to spin.

Luke attempted to correct the spin before the car collided with a tree and ended up in a field.

There was damage to all panels of the Peugeot 206. and the roof of the car had to be removed by firefighters to remove the passengers.

Gerard Nicholl, who was first on the scene told the inquest how he was alerted to the crash by his daughter who had heard skidding and a loud bang.

Mr. Nicholl then saw smoke before making his way to the field, while the emergency services were alerted.

He saw Conan in the back seat who was shouting for help. Ronan was in the front passenger seat while Luke was lying across Conan’s legs.

Mr. Nicholl told how another person disconnected the battery in the car and cut Ronan’s seatbelt to help him breathe easier.

Mr. Nicholl told the coroner that this specific part of the road was prone to accidents and there had been some serious accidents in the last number of years.

Coroner Patrick McGurgan, before delivering his findings said speed was a factor coupled with inexperience.

He hoped that young people, in particular young males pay attention and slow down when driving.

Mr. McGurgan said if anything can come from this tragedy it will be that people sit up and think before driving.

“There are too many fatalities from road traffic collisions this year, north and south,” said Mr. McGurgan.

He hoped to see a downward trend and that people will learn from the tragedy.

Mr. McGurgan found Luke Lynch to have died from multiple injuries in a road traffic collision and Ronan Melarkey from a traumatic brain injury.