A judge's wife said “I’ve killed my husband” after she followed her satnav instructions into a flooded ford and their car sank, an inquest was told yesterday.
Mr Gammon, who judged on mental health issues, was being driven to the secure Thornford Park Hospital, Berks, by his wife Priscilla Turner, 55, after days of torrential rain.
Yesterday, his inquest was told how the couple, from Teddington, south-west London, became caught in the dangerous ford, after following directions from their satnav and a map.
Alton coroner's court heard that Mrs Turner, a nurse, had escaped from the swollen River Enborne but her husband and their three year-old black working cocker-spaniel remained trapped.
She told one witness through tears "I killed my husband” as she stood crying on the river bank, after the pair were swept more than 100 yards downstream by the fast-flowing current.
Andrew Bradley, the North East Hampshire Coroner, warned of the ford’s dangers after hearing evidence from residents that drivers trustingly followed their satnavs.
While the ford has been closed since the incident, he criticised those who still attempted to use it as "foolish" or "ill-advised”. "I have quite enough work to do and I could do without more from Thornford Road,” he added.
Mrs Turner earlier told the inquest that they had never driven to the hospital and set the satnav for their 52 mile journey although her husband, who was a better navigator, also consulted maps.
As they approached the ford, on the border of Hampshire and Berkshire, it looked “deceptive” and “quite shallow”, so they started to cross, she said.
As water engulfed the car, Mr Gammon became panicked and frightened as he failed to open his door and window but his wife tried to reassure him they would escape.
"He was a cautious man, he took things seriously, he considered his moves carefully and he would get anxious,” said Mrs Turner, who had planned to walk their dog.
"I remember saying to him ‘stop panicking, I will sort things' and I had a belief I would get us out of danger.
"I just remember Jonathan's last words, his fear, his panic.”
Dorothea Ryan, who has lived near the ford for 18 years, found Mrs Turner clinging to a branch in waist deep water.
"She was saying 'Oh my god, my husband, my dog, what happened, please tell me it's a dream', I said 'No it's a nightmare'," she said.
"She said 'I killed my husband' and I said 'no, it was an accident'."
Emergency services smashed the submerged cars’ window with a ladder and pulled the pair out but were unable to revive Mr Gammon, whose cause of death was drowning.
Mr Bradley recorded a verdict of accidental death and was satisfied warning signs were adequate. “It was in tragic circumstances and an absolute tragedy,” he added.
"What you drove into was quite extraordinary, it's incredibly deceptive. It's an appalling set of circumstances, an appalling situation."
Outside court Mrs Gammon paid tribute to her husband - who became a full time judge in 2009 having previously had a "distinguished career" as both a barrister and a solicitor - as a “man of great compassion and worked tirelessly for the good of the justice system”.
“The tragic and untimely death of my husband… has brought great sadness to his family, friends and colleagues and our lives have changed forever,” she said.
“Jonathan … would want the problem of Headley ford resolved to ensure a similar tragedy could never occur again,” she added.
Hampshire County Council is reviewing the road’s use.
While the ford has been closed since the incident, he criticised those who still attempted to use it as "foolish" or "ill-advised”. "I have quite enough work to do and I could do without more from Thornford Road,” he added.
Mrs Turner earlier told the inquest that they had never driven to the hospital and set the satnav for their 52 mile journey although her husband, who was a better navigator, also consulted maps.
As they approached the ford, on the border of Hampshire and Berkshire, it looked “deceptive” and “quite shallow”, so they started to cross, she said.
As water engulfed the car, Mr Gammon became panicked and frightened as he failed to open his door and window but his wife tried to reassure him they would escape.
"He was a cautious man, he took things seriously, he considered his moves carefully and he would get anxious,” said Mrs Turner, who had planned to walk their dog.
"I remember saying to him ‘stop panicking, I will sort things' and I had a belief I would get us out of danger.
"I just remember Jonathan's last words, his fear, his panic.”
Dorothea Ryan, who has lived near the ford for 18 years, found Mrs Turner clinging to a branch in waist deep water.
"She was saying 'Oh my god, my husband, my dog, what happened, please tell me it's a dream', I said 'No it's a nightmare'," she said.
"She said 'I killed my husband' and I said 'no, it was an accident'."
Emergency services smashed the submerged cars’ window with a ladder and pulled the pair out but were unable to revive Mr Gammon, whose cause of death was drowning.
Mr Bradley recorded a verdict of accidental death and was satisfied warning signs were adequate. “It was in tragic circumstances and an absolute tragedy,” he added.
"What you drove into was quite extraordinary, it's incredibly deceptive. It's an appalling set of circumstances, an appalling situation."
Outside court Mrs Gammon paid tribute to her husband - who became a full time judge in 2009 having previously had a "distinguished career" as both a barrister and a solicitor - as a “man of great compassion and worked tirelessly for the good of the justice system”.
“The tragic and untimely death of my husband… has brought great sadness to his family, friends and colleagues and our lives have changed forever,” she said.
“Jonathan … would want the problem of Headley ford resolved to ensure a similar tragedy could never occur again,” she added.
Hampshire County Council is reviewing the road’s use.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.