Man, 72, died after being run over by his wife when she accidentally pressed the accelerator
David Chivers and his wife Elaine Valentine had travelled to Worksop, Nottinghamshire, to set up for an event they were organising on September 12 last year.
Nottingham Coroner's Court heard Mr Chivers got out of the car to remove a height barrier in the car park so they could drive through to the recreation ground.
But as he reached for the padlock while stood next to driver's side open car door, the automatic Vauxhall Insignia unexpectedly reversed.
The inquest was told 72-year-old Mr Chivers was knocked to the ground and was subsequently run over when Ms Valentine accidentally pressed the accelerator.
He died from a catastrophic head injury after sustaining severe trauma to the brain that was 'incompatible with life', a post-mortem revealed.
Nottinghamshire assistant coroner Sarah Wood recorded the death as 'accidental' at the hearing last Wednesday.
The coroner said Mr Chivers had placed himself in a vulnerable position and when Ms Valentine pressed the accelerator, the vehicle reacted abruptly, resulting in a sudden increase in speed.
The coroner said: 'This left him with little time to react and knocked him to the ground.
'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.
'Since the vehicle was in reverse, it moved toward him, ultimately running him over and leading to the head injury that caused his 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 at Bracebridge Recreation Ground by a member of the public but Mr Chivers was pronounced dead at the scene at around 11am.
PC Philip Broughton, of Nottinghamshire Police, told the hearing Ms Valentine may have had 'sudden acceleration syndrome'.
He explained this happens when a driver intends to brake but instead steps on the accelerator.
At the time of his death, a statement from Bassetlaw Multicultural Association where the pair were both members, said: 'David was a much-loved and valued member of our festival team, and the beloved husband of our chair of trustees, Elaine.
'As a committee, we made the swift decision to cancel the festival out of deep respect for David and Elaine, and because of the proximity of the accident to the festival location.'
The association added: 'David was a kind, caring, and dedicated individual who would do anything to support the festival, and other people.
'His absence will be felt by all of us, and none of us will ever forget his contributions, his spirit, or his dedicated support.
'He will be deeply missed by all who knew him.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
What are the rules around police giving out a suspect's nationality?
Ministers have said police should be more transparent about the nationalities of people who are charged. But what exactly are the rules?When a police force in England and Wales arrests or charges a suspect and they are thinking of giving information to the media, they need to have two things in mind: the laws about contempt of court which are designed to make sure suspects have a fair trial, and the College of Policing guidance on media of court laws are quite simple in this context. No-one should make public any information that might make a future trial unfair, for example giving out details of the evidence that police officers have collected. In most cases publishing the nationality of the person charged is unlikely to make the trial unfair, so the contempt of court laws are not often College of Policing guidance is more complicated. Before 2012 police forces made decisions on what information to give to the media on a purely case by case basis. These decisions were often nuanced, but were based on how much that information was considered relevant, and were sometimes simply dependent on the force's relationship with an individual journalist. But after Lord Leveson published his report into the ethics of the press in 2012 police forces became much more cautious abut what information they culminated in the College of Policing guidance on media relations which says that if someone is arrested (but not yet charged) police should only give the suspect's gender and age. The guidance does not say anything about nationality or asylum status at this stage. Once a suspect has been charged the guidance says police can give out information such as the name, the date of birth and the address of the nationality and asylum status are not mentioned, but the guidance says: "The media are aware of automatic reporting restrictions and it is their responsibility to follow them. Any information permitted under such restrictions should be released upon charge, including the following: name, date of birth, address, details of charge, and date of court appearance. "The person's occupation can be released if it is relevant to the crime - for example, a teacher charged with the assault of a pupil at the school where they work."So there is nothing in the guidance that prevents police giving information about that nationality, asylum status or even ethnicity of someone who has been charged. But there is nothing that specifically mentions them Warwickshire Police charged two men in connection with the rape of a 12-year-old girl, the force would not say whether the men were asylum seekers. The force said: "Once someone is charged with an offence, we follow national guidance. This guidance does not include sharing ethnicity or immigration status." While this last sentence is true, the guidance does not actually make suggestions one way or another on ethnicity and immigration UK leader Nigel Farage accused the police of a response, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Tuesday: "We do think there should be greater transparency. We do think more information should be provided, including on issues around nationality including on some of those asylum issues."The prime minister's official spokesman had earlier said: "Our position is that authorities, whether it is the police or whether central government, should be as transparent as possible on these issues."In truth, what information should be released to the media is largely at the discretion of the police force. As events in Liverpool in May showed, when forces think it is in the public interest they will release information about a suspect's ethnicity even before they have been charged. When a car ploughed into crowds celebrating Liverpool FC's winning of the Premiership title, Merseyside Police quickly said the man arrested was white and British, in order to quash rumours of a terrorist College of Policing said: "Police forces make challenging and complex decisions on a case-by-case basis and transparency is essential to prevent misinformation and reassure the public."It said that its guidance was "already under review" and that police forces were considering how to balance their legal obligations with "their responsibility to prevent disorder".The issue of what information police can release about a suspect came sharply into focus last summer when Axel Rudakubana was arrested for murdering three young girls, Alice Aguiar, nine, Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in first Merseyside Police did not release any information about him or his religion, which allowed false information that he was a Muslim asylum seeker to spread. Such disinformation was at least partly responsible for last summer's riots. At the time Merseyside Police said it was not giving out more information because of the contempt of court Law Commission has also been looking at contempt of court laws, with a review due to report next month.
Daily Mail
19 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
M&S apologises after girl, 14, was left 'freaked out' when 6ft 2in transgender employee asked if she needed help in bra department
Marks & Spencer has apologised after a transgender employee approached a 14-year-old girl in the bra section and offered to help. The child's furious mother complained to the retail giant and said it was 'completely inappropriate' for her daughter to be approached by a 'biological male' in the lingerie section of the shop, where she was hoping to have a bra fitting. She detailed in an email to M&S the 'horror' her daughter experienced when she was approached by the male identifying as female. 'He is at least 6ft 2in daughter recoiled, so I politely declined the offer and we left immediately. She was visibly upset and said she felt freaked out.' The retailer replied and said they were 'truly sorry' and 'deeply regret the distress your daughter felt during her visit to our store'. It added they took her concerns 'very seriously' and wish to make arrangements for a better experience in their next visit, including 'assistance from a female colleague'. An M&S spokesperson said: 'We want our stores to be inclusive and welcoming places for our colleagues and customers. 'We have written to this customer and explained that our colleagues typically work across all departments in our stores and customers can always ask to speak to the colleague they feel most comfortable with.' It is understood the employee works across the clothing section and does not carry out bra fittings. However the mother, who has chosen to remain anonymous, said she did not feel satisfied by the retailer's response that her daughter would not be approached by the transgender employee again, although they had acknowledged 'this colleague is not female'. The incident occurred in March just weeks before the supreme court ruled that trans women can be excluded from women-only spaces as Britain's highest court ruled they are not legally women and equality law refers only to biological sex. The outraged mother has asked M&S to work up a policy that ensures transgender members of staff would not approach girls and young women. Human rights boss of the charity Sex Matters, Fiona McAnena, told The Telegraph: 'M&S needs to rethink its priorities and remember that women and girls have rights too, and that this man should not be permitted to hang around in the women's underwear department as a matter of common decency. 'This is what happens when a business centres the feelings of men who identify as women, even at the expense of their own customers. It is entirely inappropriate for a man to approach a teenage girl in a lingerie department.'
The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
UK's largest indoor water park temporarily closed after girl, 4, died in lagoon tragedy as cops launch probe
THE UK's largest indoor water park is shut until further notice after a four-year-old girl died in a lagoon tragedy. Cops have now launched an urgent probe after the girl was found unconscious and later passed away in hospital on Monday. 3 Bosses at Waterworld in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, will keep the attraction shut today following the tragedy yesterday afternoon. They said in a statement yesterday: "Waterworld is in shock and has decided to remain closed tomorrow out of respect for the young girl's family." Police were called to the aqua park at around 4:20pm to reports of a four-year-old girl in critical condition. Lifeguards, staff and paramedics treated the girl at the poolside in the Lagoon area of the aqua park before she was raced to hospital. Despite the desperate efforts of hospital staff, the four-year-old sadly passed away. The child's family have been informed of the tragedy and are being supported by specially-trained officers, Staffordshire Police said. A Waterworld spokesperson said: "Waterworld is deeply saddened to confirm that a fatal incident occurred at 4:15pm on Monday, August 4th, in the Lagoon area of the Aqua Park. "A girl of 4 years old was found unconscious and treated on poolside by our lifeguard and management teams on site. "They immediately provided CPR and called the emergency services, who arrived around 4:20pm. "All other visitors were asked to quietly leave the pool out of respect for the rescue operation underway, and we would like to thank them for their support and collaboration. Mum pleads GUILTY to killing daughter, 2, who was found dead in pond just yards from her home "All our thoughts are with her family and loved ones during these extremely difficult times." Bosses say they are working "closely and openly" with the authorities to "precisely understand the circumstances of this tragic accident." Detective Chief Inspector Lucy Maskew from Staffordshire Police said: "Our thoughts are with the family at this terribly sad time. "We are now making enquiries and looking to establish the circumstances of the incident. "We would ask that members of the public avoid speculating in these early stages of the investigation and allow the family to grieve." Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or has knowledge of it is urged to call the police. The water park, which opened in 1989, attracts around 400,000 visitors each year and boasts three pools and 20 slides. The Sun reported how a drowning boy was dramatically rescued from a pool at the same Waterworld in 2021. The child was resuscitated by swift-acting lifeguards, who were praised by bosses at the Staffordshire attraction for "avoiding a tragedy". He was rushed to hospital where he was reported to be "alert and breathing" upon arrival moments after his dramatic rescue. 3
