Death of e-scooter rider Andrew Hughes was a tragic accident and he had been saving for protective clothing before Blackpool prom crash
A man who crashed his e-scooter on Blackpool Promenade was a ‘responsible rider’ who had been trying to save for new protective safety gear when he tragically died. Watch more of our videos on Shots! and live on Freeview channel 276
Andrew Hughes, 39, died when he lost control of his vehicle on the Middle Walk promenade, on Sunday, June 25. An inquest, held at Blackpool Town Hall today (07 Dec 2023), heard how Andrew, from Poulton Le Fylde, had been trying to get used to his new e-scooter, which was ‘a lot more powerful than his old one’, when he fell off at around 12.40pm that day.
Inquest for a ‘much loved man’
An inquest took place at Blackpool Town Hall and concluded that Andrew Hughes had an accidental death after he fell off his e-scooter.
Paramedics took him to Royal Preston Hospital, where he was found to have a ‘non survivable head injury’. He sadly died that evening, at 9:30pm.
7 members of Andrew’s family attended the court hearing, where Blackpool & Fylde’s Senior Coroner, Alan Wilson, described him as a ‘much loved man’.
Was planning to buy safety clothing when he could afford it
His heartbroken mother told the court: “We had been looking at new protective gear [for him] to wear while riding, as his new scooter was more powerful that his old one.” Mrs Hughes explained that he was hoping to buy the safety clothing soon, but ‘a very expensive vet bill’ meant he had to wait until next month until he could afford it. He’d been an experienced rider, who regularly used his e-scooter to commute to and from work.
She added: “I just don’t want people to think he was irresponsible”.
He was a responsible and experienced rider
At 12pm, Andrew had finished a shift at Gentings Casino, on Queen’s Promenade, where he worked as a cleaner.
He’d met with a friend, who was a cyclist, and they had been for a ride to South Pier. Andrew had then left his friend, and turned back the way he’d gone – which is when he’d entered Middle Walk. This was confirmed by various eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage obtained along the route that Andrew had travelled.