Wife died as tree branch speared car
Woman impaled in freak accident
A WOMAN died after being impaled by a 13ft branch during storms as her husband drove them home, an inquest heard.
Elaine Davison, 55, was in the front seat when the tree toppled over in front of the couple’s car.
Husband Edward, 60, said he had vowed to his wife he would not let her die. He told jurors: “It’s the first time I’ve had to lie to her, I can’t take it back.”
They were driving back to Ponte- fract, West Yorks, from Wakefield in November 2010 when gales struck. Coroner David Hinchliff said: “You could see the car shaking side to side. [Elaine] asked if you were speeding; you told her you were not. You reassured her, ‘We’ll be tucked up in our pyjamas in 20 minutes’.” The branch smashed the windscreen, piercing Elaine’s chest, the inquest heard. A postmortem said she died of an abdomen haemorrhage. The inquest, at Wakefield coroner’s court, continues.