Husband killed by wife in 'tragic car park accident'

North Wales Live

3 days ago

A man died in a "tragic accident" after his wife run over him in a car park, an inquest heard. David Charles Seymour Chivers, 72, and his wife, Elaine Valentine, had travelled to Priorswell Road car park in Worksop on September 12, 2024. They were preparing for an event at Bracebridge Recreation Ground they were both holding the week after.
An inquest into Mr Chivers' death at Nottingham Coroner's Court on Wednesday, (July 30), 2025) heard upon the couple's arrival, Mr Chivers' left the car to try to remove a height barrier at the rear of the car park, that led to the recreation ground.
The couple initially stood together by the barrier. Then Ms Valentine, who was present at the inquest, got in the driver's seat. Meanwhile, Mr Chivers kept attempting to reach the padlock, but this was situated at a height that made doing so difficult, coroner Sarah Wood said.
He was standing next to the driver's side of the car, with the driver's door open. The automatic Vauxhall Insignia then reversed and Mr Chivers was knocked to the ground before he was "suddenly run over".
Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
A post-mortem examination found Mr Chivers died due to a head injury, having sustained severe trauma to the brain that was "incompatible with life". Recording the death as accidental, coroner Wood said: "Mr Chivers died of a head injury he sustained when the vehicle reversed, causing him to fall to the ground and suddenly ran over him.
"He placed himself in a vulnerable position and when Ms Valentine pressed the accelerator, the vehicle reacted abruptly and caused a sudden increase in speed. This left him with little time to react and knocked him to the ground, reports NottinghamshireLive.
"What happened next was a tragic event and I find it is more likely than not that Ms Valentine panicked in an attempt to move the car away from Mr Chivers. Due to the vehicle being in reverse, this led to the vehicle moving towards him and suddenly running over him, causing the head injury, which was his cause of death.
"This was a tragic accident which I'm sure Ms Valentine is very unlikely to recover from." Emergency services were called to the scene by a member of the public but Mr Chivers was pronounced dead at the scene.
PC Philip Broughton, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the call was made shortly after 10.50am and Ms Valentine likely had "sudden acceleration syndrome". This occurs when a driver intends to brake but instead steps on the accelerating pedal, leading to panic and confusion.