A great-grandmother has died following a tragic accident where her son, who was also her carer, unknowingly ran her over with his Range Rover outside a doctor's surgery, an inquest has heard.
The Tragic Incident in Denbigh
Celia Adams, an 81-year-old former bacteriologist and shopkeeper, passed away in hospital on February 28 last year. Her death came ten days after the incident at the rear of the Brynffynnon surgery in Denbigh, North Wales.
Her son, Ian Adams, provided a statement to the inquest in Ruthin explaining the circumstances. He described how his mother's mobility was severely restricted and that she suffered from osteoporosis. On the day of the appointment, he parked in a staff bay to help her alight from the vehicle near the surgery's back door.
Sequence of Events Leading to the Collision
Knowing he could not remain parked illegally, Ian instructed his mother to wait while he moved the car to find a proper space. He reversed the Range Rover out of the bay but did not feel any impact, and the vehicle's audible reversing sensors did not activate.
After the collision, surgery staff brought Mrs Adams inside the building. She informed them, "I've been run over." She was subsequently transported by ambulance to Glan Clwyd Hospital before being transferred to a specialist unit in Stoke.
Coroner's Conclusion of Accidental Death
The medical cause of death was listed as respiratory failure due to multiple fractured ribs sustained in a road traffic collision. However, Senior Coroner for North Wales East and Central, John Gittins, stated it would be "inappropriate" to record a formal conclusion of death in a road traffic collision.
He instead recorded a conclusion of accidental death. Mr Gittins noted Mrs Adams's long-term osteoporosis diagnosis, stating: "While the number of injuries Mrs Adams sustained were the result of a collision I also note that this lady had had diagnosis of osteoporosis for many years. It is therefore entirely conceivable that those rib injuries which led to respiratory failure stemmed from her initial fall."
Ian Adams had also told police that his mother had a history of falling. Following her death, Mrs Adams's family paid tribute, calling her "a woman of many talents who had the biggest heart" and "the glue that held us all together."
