THE family of a teenager killed in a car crash say he has paid the ultimate price for his mistakes.
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A three day coronial inquest into Shaun Crighton’s death on East Street in September 2017 finished in Albury on Thursday.
The findings are expected to be handed down next month.
The 19-year-old’s family prepared a statement for the final day of the inquest, detailing his life and the impact of his death.
“Shaun should not be defined by the way he died,” lawyer David Evenden said on behalf of the family.
“We hope for Shaun to be seen for the person he was: a good and kind-hearted kid.
“Shaun was just 19.
“That’s still young enough to be foolish and to make stupid choices without understanding the risks.
“He had a lot of growing up to do.
“Shaun was much more than this mistake.”
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The family said their “hearts are broken and our lives are shattered”.
“Please consider who Shaun really was,” their statement said.
“Shaun was not a bad person and he did not deserve to die.”
The court heard police had been trying to perform a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle he was driving before the utility swerved out of control, hit a tree, caught on fire and exploded.
Mr Evenden had earlier said Mr Crighton died “an awful death”.
He conceded police weren’t involved in a pursuit in the strict definition of the term.
But he said the officers should have activated their warning lights far earlier and said the death was avoidable.
But Ray Hood, acting for the NSW Police Commissioner, said the two Albury members "well and truly complied with the policies they were required to follow".
He said while it had been suggested their were options available to police to avoid a tragedy, "those options were at all times available to Shaun" as well.
Mr Hood told deputy state coroner Derek Lee he "could not in any way" be critical of the police on the night.
Mr Crighton, who was on ice and using a phone before the crash, was pinned inside the stolen utility.
The court he was trapped by his feet and legs.
Mr Lee said his findings would be handed down on April 15.