Coroner warning after mobility scooter crash death

A coroner has warned of the potential dangers of mobility scooters following the death of a grandmother who crashed when she was unable to stop her vehicle.

Angela Carney, 65, died after her scooter collided with a pick-up truck on Westgate, in Cleckheaton, on 26 September 2023.

In a Prevention of Future Deaths Report, senior West Yorkshire coroner Martin Fleming said he was "concerned to find there was no fail-safe braking mechanism to enable an emergency stop" on Ms Carney's scooter.

Mr Fleming has written to the Department for Transport (Dft) outlining his concerns that scooters without a braking system independent of the engine were continuing to be produced and sold second-hand.

According to Mr Fleming's report, Ms Carney died after "sustaining fatal injuries" when she lost control of the scooter she was riding as it travelled downhill "at speed" along Westcliffe Road and crashed into a Nissan Navara which was towing a trailer carrying a 4x4 vehicle.

Before setting off down the hill, Ms Carney "did not take the scooter off the free wheel drive by engaging the engine with her ignition key", Mr Fleming wrote.

"As a consequence, she was unable to stop the scooter because the brakes could only be activated by engine engagement."

The coroner said the 2005 model scooter, which was bought second-hand from a neighbour, was "without any defects to have contributed to the collision and if the instruction manual had been followed, the scooter could have been used safely".

"That said, I was concerned to find that there was no fail-safe braking mechanism on the scooter to enable an emergency stop to take place in the event of the inadvertence of the rider," he wrote.

Concluding his report, Mr Fleming asked the DfT and the Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) "to review the adequacy of the existing guidelines and regulations and to consider the appropriateness of fitting secondary braking systems to all mobility scooters".

Mr Fleming gave the Dft and the MHRA until 7 March to reply to his concerns.

In a statement, the MHRA said: "Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Angela Carney's family and friends.

"Protecting the health and wellbeing of the public is our priority, and along with the Department for Transport we will carefully consider the recommendations made."

Following Ms Carney's death, her family paid tribute, describing her as "a kind and loving soul whose door was always open to anyone".

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