A FREAK accident claimed the life of a Studley woman when she was crushed by her own car.
Emma Jane Watson died from chest injuries and multiple fractures after her Volkswagen Golf, which she thought was parked safely, rolled down a hill and ran her over.
An inquest into the 38-year-old’s death heard how she had gone into a field on Hardwick Lane where she tended to horses and parked the car on a slight hill around 9pm on March 4.
But when she went back to close the gate she had just opened – something she did every time she visited the field – the car which is usually supported by an automatic handbrake began rolling down the hill.
Warwickshire Justice Centre was told how the force of the car coming down the slope would be enough to catch Emma by surprise and trap her underneath.
She was eventually found by off-duty police officer Gary Morris some time later.
Speaking at the inquest, fiancĂ© Jason Burford, who was due to marry Emma last month, said: “She used this car every day and made this same manoeuvre twice a day for years.
“This happened out of nowhere – it’s come as such a shock to all of us.”
Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Sean McGovern said: “I have never seen anything like this before. It is an absolute tragedy.”