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A woman died when a car she was getting out of rolled backwards and pinned her underneath, an inquest heard.

June Murray was visiting her son in Llandudno, Conwy, the inquest in Ruthin, Denbighshire, was told.

She was getting out of a Ford Cougar on 18 December 2020, at her son's home in Conway Road when the car began to move.

Coroner Kate Sutherland said it was impossible to know if the car handbrake was applied fully or not and recorded a conclusion of accidental death.

The hearing in Ruthin was told that the driveway of the house slopes back slightly, but no mechanical defects were found with the car.

'Handbrake lever was up'

A statement was read out from the driver of the car, Georgina Jones, the partner of Mrs Murray's son.

She had collected Mrs Murray from her home in Kinmel Bay, Conwy, as she would do once a fortnight.

After parking the car on the drive, she went into the house with a takeaway meal she had just bought, leaving Mrs Murray to get out of the passenger door.

"As I came out of the house, I saw the passenger door open, but I didn't sense the car moving. But then June shouted 'George, George', and I saw the car starting to roll backwards," said Ms Jones.

"She fell to the ground under the car. I thought it was going to run over her head, but it just stopped. I tried to run round and stop the car, but couldn't.

"I know for certain that the handbrake lever was up; it was still up when I went back to the car to help get it away from June."

No defects found

Mrs Murray had been pinned against the passenger side front wheel.

Doctors arrived quickly, but she died later in Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, Denbighshire.

The inquest heard that Mrs Murray had heart disease and scoliosis of the spine, which made it difficult for her to survive the injuries.

North Wales Police forensic collision investigator Gordon Saynor told the inquest that the parts of the car handbrake were sent away for examination and no defects were found.

He said: "We also carried out a full reconstruction at the scene, re-enacting various scenarios.

"There was slight rutting across the drive at the front of the house from where the ground had settled following building work in the past.

'Completely unintended'

"When the front wheels of the car were in this trench, the car would roll if pressure was applied and the handbrake was not engaged, or was only on by one or two notches."

The coroner said: "The evidence doesn't disclose whether the handbrake was not applied or whether it was ineffectively applied.

"This was completely unintended and completely unexpected, so a conclusion of accidental death is appropriate."

Mrs Murray's daughter Maria Leach told the inquest that her mother was an energetic and independent woman who loved her family, and that her death was a tragic accident.