Inquest opens into deaths of Nicola Courtney and son Lucas, 3, in ‘stranded car’ crash on A180
Inquests have opened into the deaths of a Scunthorpe woman and her three-year-old son, whose car was hit by a lorry after stopping on the A180.
Nicola Ann Courtney, 34, and Lucas Jase Page, 3, of Kirkby Road, were pronounced dead at the scene on Friday March 10. The lorry hit their blue Ford Focus shortly after 9pm, after it stopped in a live lane on the westbound carriageway, near Immingham[1].
At Grimsby[2] Town Hall, Coroner Paul Smith formally opened and adjourned the inquests[3] into their deaths until September 10, 2023. During the opening, he explained that DNA had been used to identify the victims.
Opening Nicola's inquest, he outlined how the possible cause of death included injuries suffered as a result of the crash, and alcohol intoxication. Lucas's death was outlined as possibly being caused by injuries suffered as a result of the crash. Inquiries were continuing to establish the full circumstances.
In March, it emerged that a driver had called police to report the "stranded" car after it stopped in the live lane. The driver said they had "swerved" to avoid the car at around 8.45pm, about 20 minutes before the fatal collision.
Following the tragic deaths, tributes flooded in from friends and family. One friend said: "Absolutely devastated to find out my dear friend Nicola Courtney and baby Lucas passed away! You literally never know the last time you're going to speak to someone is! I’m heartbroken. You will be missed."