Woman's death near pier was accident, says coroner

Margaret Carter was described as being "full of life and energy" by her son

The death of a 94-year-old woman who died after a board advertising Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier fell on her, has been ruled as an accident by a coroner.

Margaret Carter of Lydney, Gloucestershire, had been walking along the promenade on 28 October 2021 when the heavy A-frame, which had been left out in "gale force" winds, landed on top of her.

She faced a three-and-a-half hour wait for an ambulance while on the ground in poor weather conditions and died after being taken to Southmead Hospital.

Coroner, Peter Harrowing, said that the death had been an accident "neither intended nor envisioned by the individuals who placed that sign... or by the company by which they were employed".

Grand Pier Ltd had already pleaded guilty to criminal health and safety failings over the death and was ordered to pay almost £200,000 in January 2024.

The incident happened at Weston-super-Mare's Grand Pier in October 2021

Mrs Carter has been described by her family as having been "independent" and "completely fit in both body and mind" and determined to live to 100.

Her son, Michael Carter, said: "She was the most wonderful person, full of life and energy, even at the age of 94."

He attended the inquest at Avon Coroner's Court with his sister Sue Firman.

The inquest heard that Mrs Carter had been visiting Weston-super-Mare, her favourite place to visit, with family on the October day in 2021.

She had been walking along the promenade at about noon when a strong gust of wind hit the flat face of the A-board, which was more than 2m high and weighed about 100kg, blowing it over and onto her.

An ambulance was called but did not arrive for three and a half hours.

South Western Ambulance Service said at the time that handover delays were putting strain on the service, and she was initially not categorised as high priority.

'Significant injuries'

The inquest heard that the impact of her injuries led to heart failure, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

A statement read out from Dr Delaney, who examined her at Southmead Hospital, said: "In my opinion, these significant injuries would have created a high risk of death in an elderly person, even with more rapid medical intervention."

The inquest was told that on the day of the incident, wind speeds were as high as 39mph, which as a rule of thumb could be called "gale force."

The A-boards have not been used since the incident. They were seized by North Somerset Council and Grand Pier Ltd told the court they did not want them back.

The co-owner and director of Grand Pier Ltd, Michelle Michael, said that the company had now engaged a health and safety practitioner to advise and perform spot checks and all senior management had taken a health and safety qualification.

Mr Carter said: "We are just pleased as a family that the pier have put measures in place in an effort to prevent this happening again in the future, which is ultimately the best that we could hope for."