Phil Spencer’s parents died in car river plunge accident, coroner rules

The parents of TV presenter Phil Spencer died as a result of an accident after their car overturned in a river, a coroner has concluded. Richard Spencer, 89, known as David, and Anne Spencer, 82, were driving to lunch when their car tipped over the edge of a bridge and plunged into a river in Littlebourne, Kent, on August 18. The couple, who were farmers, were submerged in around 3ft of water and were later pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate.

At Oakwood House in Maidstone on Tuesday, area coroner for north-east Kent Sarah Clarke said: "These circumstances are some of the most tragic I have ever heard." She said the couple were "chatting when the car veered very slightly to the offside" and the vehicle overturned in the Nailbourne river. Their full-time carer, who was travelling in the back seat of the car, was able to escape and call for help.

Ms Clarke had previously said paramedics arrived at around 12.57pm and took Mr Spencer and Mrs Spencer to the QEQM. She said Mr Spencer died from a lung injury called aspiration pneumonitis due to near drowning. Mrs Spencer died from aspiration pneumonia, a hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury, and near drowning.

Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, while aspiration pneumonia is an infection of the lungs caused by inhaling food or liquid. Mr Spencer paid tribute to his "amazing parents" following their deaths and said the incident was "what God had planned for them" so they could stay together after six decades of marriage and four children. The Location, Location, Location presenter said at the time: "As a family, we are all trying to hold on to the fact Mum and Dad went together and that neither will ever have to mourn the loss of the other one, which is a blessing in itself.

"Although they were both on extremely good form in the days before (hence the sudden idea to go out to lunch), Mum's Parkinson's and Dad's dementia had been worsening and the long-term future was set to be a challenge.

"So much so that Mum said to me only a week ago that she had resigned to thinking 'Now it looks like we will probably go together' - and so they did."