Norfolk Broads boat propeller death in Great Yarmouth an accident

A woman who fell overboard from a boat on the Norfolk Broads drowned in an accident, an inquest jury concluded.

Laura Perry, 38, was on rear boat steps when she fell and was dragged into the propeller by rope in the water.

Norfolk Coroner's Court heard the boat was being steered in August 2020 by Ms Perry's sister who was trying to reverse after hitting another vessel.

Instead it accelerated forward "violently", throwing Ms Perry from the boat's exterior stairs into the river.

Area coroner Yvonne Blake said: "If she had been a further step inside the boat she wouldn't have gone overboard."

In a written explanation of their conclusion, the jurors said insufficient instruction about the dual-helm controls had been given.

"The handover provided to the family was incomplete," the jury explanation said.

The inquest was told Ms Perry, 38, from Bermondsey in London, was on holiday on the 12.8m (41.9ft) Diamond Emblem 1 with her partner, parents, sister, 16-year-old niece and her sons, aged 16, 14 and four.

The boat was approaching Great Yarmouth yacht station when the occupants were told there was no place to moor.

Ms Perry's sister, who was on the upper deck, thought she had been given control of the boat from the lower deck, but the inquest heard capability to change direction had not been passed over.

As a result of not having full control, she accelerated sharply forward into a wall instead of reversing.

Ms Perry died of multiple injuries and drowning, and entrapment beneath a boat.

An investigation was launched by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) soon afterwards and a report published.

Giving evidence at the inquest for the MAIB, Graham Wilson, said a black stop button to cut the engine was available on both control panels, but its location had not been pointed out on the upper deck in the training briefing.

Asked if the button being pressed sooner would have stopped the boat, Mr Wilson said: "Stopping wouldn't stop the movement of the boat.

"It would have stopped the propeller and would have prevented this death."

The MAIB investigation found the boat handover and the documentation provided to the family were insufficient to make sure the hire party was "competent to drive a boat with dual-helm control".

It said the handover, which took "about 10 minutes", happened while the group's luggage was being loaded on to the boat and was cursory and incomplete.

Covid restrictions at the time meant the designated skipper and driver, Ms Perry's sister, was given instruction separately.

The briefing should have been 30 minutes long but the family was 18 minutes late due to delays to their journey. An online tutorial lasting six minutes had been sent to the family.

The inquest was told the boat, operated by Ferry Marina of Horning, did comply with regulations and did not require handrails.

The firm said since the death the colour of the stop buttons had been changed from black to red.

In in addition, lights were added to all dual-helm boats to indicate which control panel was in charge.

An extra grab rail had also been fitted to the back of boats with similar steps.

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