River Trent: Death of couple who drowned ruled accidental

The death of a couple in their 80s who drowned when their car entered a river was accidental, a coroner has ruled.

John and Patricia Lillistone's Skoda entered the fast-flowing River Trent in Hoveringham, Nottinghamshire, at about 16:15 GMT on 1 February 2021.

Weeks of heavy rain had caused water levels to rise and rescue teams could not retrieve the car for 13 days.

Nottingham's senior coroner Mairin Casey called their deaths "an exceptionally rare event".

The inquest at Nottingham Coroner's Court heard Mr Lillistone, 83, and Mrs Lillistone, 82, from Main Street, Lowdham, Nottinghamshire, had driven into a lay-by off Hoveringham Road.

Witness statements read out in court described their car "not stopping" as it left the car park and went on to a grass verge before going into the water.

One of the onlookers, John Chell, said: "It didn't appear to slow down, there were no brake lights.

"I didn't hear any shouting, no sound from the car. I thought that was really strange."

Another witness, Michael Priestly, said: "Their demeanour seemed bizarre. They were just sat in the car facing forwards. Neither were shouting or trying to get out."

His wife Christine said the woman in the car was "very calm" and "not moving or making any attempts to get out".

However the coroner said despite their observations, there was no suggestion that it was a deliberate act.

Ms Casey said their calmness could be explained by shock.

"This presentation I find is likely to have been explained by suddenly having entered the fast-flowing river and realising there was little or nothing they could do to ensure their return to safety," she added.

Mr and Mrs Lillistone, who had been married for 60 years, had two children and four grandchildren.

The inquest heard they had enjoyed an active lifestyle and regularly saw nearby family until Covid-19 restrictions, but it had become their daily routine to go for a drive.

Ms Casey said she had seen medical records and added there was nothing to suggest any mental health or medical issues in relation to the accident.

Stephen Farrell, a forensic collision investigator for Nottinghamshire Police, said: "The river being higher than normal reduced that amount of time for someone to react.

"They were safe until the moment the car entered the water and from that point there was very little they could do to come back from that.

"It was an entirely unimaginable situation where no-one really considers what they would do when they are faced with that."

The inquest also heard from a traffic officer who said she had worked with Hoveringham Parish Council and owners of the land, Midland Angling Society, to increase safety in the lay-by.

She said additional signs had been placed in the area to warn drivers, and a kerb would be installed next month between the car park and grass verge.

Ms Casey welcomed these and said: "It is impossible for us to know whether these changes will be effective but it is right that anything that can be done should be done to minimise risks and prevent future deaths."

The couple's son, James Lillistone, said he was also pleased with the changes and added: "But my personal view is that these measures, if they had been there, probably still wouldn't have prevented the incident that happened.

"My parents were very familiar with the area and I don't think dad would have contemplated going down there if there was any danger.

"They were just making the most of the end of the day and the nice weather and I'm not sure the signage would have made any difference to them."

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