Tributes to RAF man and wife killed as they crossed road in USA
LEICESTER SERVICEMAN SEAN HAD BEEN BASED IN CALIFORNIA
AN INQUEST has been held into a British couple who died after being hit by a car in Los Angeles.
Sean Cooper, born in Leicester, and his wife Lucy, from Grimsby, suffered fatal injuries while crossing a road on September 4.
The pair were in California where Sean, 32, was based serving as part of 17 Squadron as a mechanical aircraft technician for the RAF.
Lucy, 28, was a veterinary nurse and had moved to America with her husband where they lived in the city of Lancaster.
An inquest in Lincoln heard that 32-year-old Sean sustained a blunt trauma as a result of the crash.
He was rushed to Antelope Valley Hospital in LA, where he died.
Lucy, a 28-year-old veterinary nurse, suffered multiple blunt force injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The bodies of the couple were repatriated to Lincoln, where Lucy’s family live.
Lucy and Sean’s coffins were draped in Union flags and service personnel gathered as they were transferred onto an RAF plane to head back to the UK from the Edwards Air Force Base in America.
Kimberly Washbourn, 28, a friend of Lucy’s since they met as young hotel waitresses, said she will always remember the memories they created together and says the couple were “perfect” for each other.
She added that their deaths will leave a huge hole in many people’s lives.
She said: “Lucy was one of the most caring, beautiful and kindhearted people I was ever lucky enough to call a friend.
“Her sense of humour and bubbly personality were infectious and she made the lives of everyone who knew her so much better.
“It was so clear to everyone how much Sean and Lucy loved each other, and I am so glad they were able to follow their dreams in seeing the world, together.”
Despite not being as close to Sean, Kimbery says from the few times they met, it was clear Lucy and him were meant to be.
She said: “He was kind, funny and a genuinely lovely person.
“The thing that stuck out was how much he loved and adored Lucy, they were absolutely perfect for each other.”
The Veterinary Hospital Lincoln, where Lucy had worked as a receptionist before undertaking her nurse training, posted on Facebook: “Lucy was a great friend as well as a beloved colleague.
“We had always hoped that one day when she was ready for a more quiet life that she might come back home, and we would work with her again.
“Nothing we say or do will be enough recognition for her, but we will remember Lucy as a hardworking, empathetic friend and colleague who we could share a hug with after a hard day, celebrate with after a clinical success, and who would always bring along a smile. She will be missed, and never forgotten.”
The couple’s bodies were repatriated on September 28, when service personnel gathered as the coffins, draped in Union flags, were transferred onto an RAF plane to head back to the UK. Posting about the sad day, the 412 Test Wing Command Chief Master Sergeant posted on Facebook: “This weekend, we took part in a dignified transfer and said goodbye to our friends, Sean and Lucy Cooper, as they began their journey back the United Kingdom.
“It was a beautiful ceremony and our hearts go out to their family, friends, and the Royal Air Force’s 17 Squadron.”
Coroner Paul Smith concluded that both deaths were caused by a road traffic collision.