Grieving mother reacts to Cheshire Coroner’s verdict after inquest into Elton teenager Vicky Williams’ sudden death in a car crash

Apr 16 2009 by Ben Coulbeck, Chester Chronicle

A GRIEVING mother wept after an inquest heard how her daughter died of a head injury sustained during a car crash last year.

Victoria-Louise Williams, 19, from Elton, was driving home from a night out with friends when she lost control of her Vauxhall Corsa and hit a concrete-enforced lamppost.

The court heard how it was probable Vicky was not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash and sustained a fractured skull due to the sheer force of the impact.

HM Coroner for Cheshire Geoff Roberts explained: “Having reviewed the photographs of the incident, I don’t think wearing a seat belt would make a scrap of difference to the outcome.”

Vicky’s mother, Lesley Mowatt, attended the inquest in Chester on Tuesday and said how her daughter loved life and socialising and wanted to continue a career in nursing.

She said the last time she saw Vicky was on the night of the incident, on Wednesday, October 29, before she left the house at 9.30pm.

She said: “She had a lost a stone in weight so was very happy and bubbly. She arranged to meet her friends and went out.

“She always gave me a kiss before she went out and told me that she loved me. I miss her so much”.

The inquest heard how Vicky left her house on Redwood Drive, in Elton, and drove with friend Kate Griffin to garage forecourt at Sainsbury’s near Cheshire Oaks, Ellesmere Port.

Then after meeting other friends they drove to a covered car park in Frodsham where they chatted into the early hours.

Vicky, who attended West Cheshire College and worked at Helsby’s Loxley Hall as a care nurse, was driving home on the A56 between Frodsham and Helsby when she lost control of the car.

PC Michael Prime, of Cheshire Police’s Collision Investigation Unit, said evidence suggested Vicky had over-corrected her car from oversteering. He added temperatures were at freezing point.

He confirmed the maximum speed the car was travelling was 57mph. The speed limit for that section of the A56 is 60mph.

In reaching his verdict of accidental death, Dr Roberts said: “Vicky was a loving young lady with a love of life. Her death was an extremely unfortunate accident.”