Inquest into A180 fatal crash that took lives of mum and toddler

A mother and her toddler son died on the A180 when a lorry crashed into them after their car broke down, an inquest^[1] heard.

Nicola Courtney^[2], of Kirkby Road, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, and three-year-old Lucas, had been visiting her mum in Cleethorpes when tragedy struck near Immingham at 9pm on March 10 last year. An inquest heard that their blue Ford Focus was tragically struck by an articulated lorry that was also travelling westbound.

The 34-year-old mum and her son were found in the rear seat of the vehicle which had been forced, due to the impact, into the central reservation - and a fire broke out. Assistant coroner Jayne Wilkes said the mother died from extensive burns and her son suffered traumatic multiple injuries. Humberside Police^[3] issued an appeal following the fatal crash and asked witnesses to help with their investigation.

Drivers in the westbound carriageway said they saw the broken-down car and had to swerve because it had no lights on. At the inquest, it was revealed the mother had two and a half times the legal limit of alcohol in her system. There were 215mg of alcohol in 100mls of blood, the legal limit being 80mls.

The inquest heard the mother and son were due to stay with Nicola's mother in Cleethorpes that night but for some reason she left. The car broke down in the dual carriageway between Stallingborough and Brocklesby. The blue Ford Focus came to a stop in the centre of the nearside lane. It was not displaying any lights. She was seen by the driver of another vehicle to get out of her car and walk towards the passenger side of the vehicle, Hull Live^[5] reported.

The passenger door was left open. Several vehicles narrowly avoided colliding with the car, until it was hit by a Renault articulated goods vehicle. The impact of the collision pushed the vehicle into the central reservation where it burst into flames.

Due to the extensive fire damage, it was not possible to confirm whether their vehicle had any mechanical defect which would have caused it to stop how, and where, it did. The assistant coroner said there was no fault found in the Renault HGV or the manner of its driving.

Giving a narrative conclusion into the deaths, Miss Wilkes said: "Lucas Jase Page died from traumatic multiple injuries in a vehicle fire on a live lane of the A180 dual carriageway, in the back of his mother's stationary and unlit car. He had remained in the vehicle with his mother when it was hit by an HGV lorry, causing extensive damage to the car before it burst into flames."

She concluded Nicola Ann Courtney died on a live lane of the A180 in her stationary and unlit car. She left the driving seat and was in the rear of the vehicle next to her three-year-old son when the vehicle was hit by an HGV lorry. "Her high blood alcohol level would have contributed to her death," the assistant coroner concluded.

Following the tragedy, friends posted tributes to the devoted mother and her much-loved son. One said: "This world^[6] is a very sad one we live in. One of my bestest friends and her little boy are going to be missed so much by so many."

Another tribute read: "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." Others passed their best wishes onto Nicola's other children, who are now without a mum. A message read: "What a terrible accident. I am so sorry to hear this and RIP to Nicola and Lucas.

References

1. ^{^} inquest (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^{^} Nicola Courtney (www.mirror.co.uk)
3. ^{^} Humberside Police (www.mirror.co.uk)
4. ^{^} Mum, 34, and son, 3, who died after lorry crashes into broken down car pictured (www.mirror.co.uk)
5. ^{^} Hull Live (www.hulldailymail.co.uk)
6. ^{^} world (www.mirror.co.uk)