THE partner of a dad-to-be who died instantly after a high speed crash on the M4 today spoke of her heartbreak. Natasha Hutchins, pictured, and Luftim Toci planned to marry after the birth of their baby.

But Luftim died in the 110mph smash and never saw baby Reece.

A MOTHER has spoken of her heartbreak after her partner died before getting the chance to see his baby son.

Natasha Hutchings, 23, says that baby Reece, 15 weeks, is the spitting image of Luftim Toci who died aged 23 in a car crash on the M4 on May 29 last year.

The couple had been together for a year. Luftim, an Albanian scaffolder, had become like a father to Natasha's four-year-old son Joshua when tragedy struck.

Natasha said: "I didn't find out until about 10.45 that night and I just couldn't believe it.

"I didn't believe he was dead until I had seen his body. It still doesn't feel real.

"I'm just totally gutted that he had never had a chance to see his son.

"Reece looks just like him he would have adored him he was so proud of becoming a father.

"We went for the first scan two weeks before Luftim died and he was so excited.

"We were planning to marry once the baby was born. But now that will never happen." An inquest heard how Mr Luftim was driving at over 90 miles-an-hour to Bristol with two friends, Riza Sula and Kiytin Uruci, in his new silver Nissan Primera car.

In statements they said that they pleaded with him to slow down or they would crash. But he told them to shut up and turned the music up on the stereo.

Suddenly he swerved sharply to the left, travelled across three lanes of traffic, broke through a boundary fence, tumbled through the air and ended up upside down in a field of cows, killing one one of them.

Mr Luftim died instantly from severe head injuries but Mr Sula and Mr Uruci, who were taken to hospital by air ambulance, miraculously survived.

Coroner David Masters recorded a verdict of misadventure.

He said: "Mr Luftim was travelling at an excessive speed. Both passengers were concerned about the speed and told him to slow down fearing he would crash but he didn't do so.

"Mr Luftim died instantly.

"It's difficult to see how anybody could have survived the crash but they did."

Natasha says she cannot understand why Luftim was driving so fast that day.

"It wasn't like him to speed at all.

"Usually he was such a slow driver that my dad used to complain that he drove too slowly.

"I can only think that he was showing off because it was a new car."

She says that her son Joshua, who has learning difficulties, has been devastated by his death.

"Luftim was like a dad to Joshua and was planning to adopt him.

"Joshua doesn't bond with people easily because of his learning difficulties but he absolutely adored Luftim.

"He misses him like mad and he keeps asking constantly 'where's daddy?'.

"We took him to LegoLand for his fourth birthday last year and he keeps asking 'is daddy at LegoLand?'

Luftim had been living in Britain for four years when the couple met in Swindon through friends.

"He was happy, he loved his work and he always wanted to better himself and set up his own business," said Natasha.

"He treated my family as his own and they loved him."

Diana Milne