Boy, three, hit and killed by mother as she drove a car for the first time

"Appalling tragedy": Three-year-old Liam Turner died after he was hit by a car driven by his mother
PA
Jamie Bullen15 February 2016

A mother accidentally hit and killed her three-year-old son while driving a car for the first time, an inquest heard.

Lyndsay Turner, 34, was maneuvering a Citroen C4 hatchback into a parking space near her home in Watton, Norfolk when she struck Liam, who was playing nearby.

He was airlifted to Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital where he died later that day.

An inquest into the tragedy on June 7 last year was held at Norwich Coroner’s Court today.

In a statement, Mrs Turner said she asked her husband Stephen, 37, how to drive and decided to move the car into a parking space.

Liam was playing with his older sister outside at the time.

The court heard it was the first time Mrs Turner had ever driven the car and that she was uninsured and had no driver’s licence.

She told police: “My foot slipped and it jolted suddenly forward.”

She was being supervised by Mr Turner, who was outside of the car.

Neighbour Amy Jones described how she saw Mrs Turner pulling into the space in a “stuttering” manner.

She heard Mr Turner shout “stop” followed by a loud crunch.

Pc Forbes Scott told the court Mrs Turner should not have been driving as it was a public road but added the Crown Prosecution Service decided it was not in the public interest to press charges.

The inquest heard Liam suffered a serious head injury and irreversible brain damage and died at hospital that evening.

Deputy Coroner Nicholas Holroyd recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He told the couple: "This was an appalling tragedy and you both have my profound sympathy for this loss.

"There are very few parents who when looking back haven't said to themselves 'that was a near thing', tragically this ended as disastrously as it did."

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