AN ELDERLY man died after he was run over by his wife in a “tragic accident” at a car park, an inquest has concluded.
David Charles Seymour Chivers, 72, had travelled to Priorswell Road car park in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, with his wife Elaine Valentine on September 12, 2024.
The couple were making preparations for an event they were holding the following week at Bracebridge Recreation Ground, adjacent to the car park.
However, after David exited the vehicle to try to remove a height barrier at the rear of the car park, he was hit by the car.
The inquest into his death at Nottingham Coroner’s Court heard that the couple were initially standing together beside the barrier before Elaine – who attended the inquest – sat in the driver’s seat of their car.
While this was going on, David continued to try to reach a padlock on the barrier.
However, this was situated at a height that made doing so difficult, coroner Sarah Wood said.
At the time of the accident, David was standing next to the driver’s side of the car, with the driver’s door open.
While still attempting to reach the padlock, the couple’s automatic Vauxhall Insignia reversed, knocking David to the ground before he was “suddenly run over”.
A post-mortem examination found the 72-year-old die from a head injury, having sustained severe trauma to the brain that was “incompatible with life”.
Recording the death as accidental, coroner Wood said: “Mr Chivers died of a head injury he sustained when the vehicle reversed, causing him to fall to the ground and suddenly ran over him.
“He placed himself in a vulnerable position and when Ms Valentine pressed the accelerator, the vehicle reacted abruptly and caused a sudden increase in speed. This left him with little time to react and knocked him to the ground.
“What happened next was a tragic event and I find it is more likely than not that Ms Valentine panicked in an attempt to move the car away from Mr Chivers.
“Due to the vehicle being in reverse, this led to the vehicle moving towards him and suddenly running over him, causing the head injury, which was his cause of death.
“This was a tragic accident which I’m sure Ms Valentine is very unlikely to recover from.”
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun .
