Toddler’s death in car accident ‘an appalling tragedy’

A TWO-YEAR-OLD boy died in an “appalling tragedy” when he was hit by his mother’s car, an inquest heard.

Nicola Fenton was slowly driving an Audi Q7 out of a double garage outside the family’s home when her vehicle struck her twoyear-old son Brogan just after 2pm on January 4, an inquest at Wakefield heard.

Brogan’s grandfather Robert Fenton used a jack to lift the vehicle and attempts were made to revive the boy before paramedics arrived at the house on Lingwell Nook Lane, Lofthouse, Wakefield.

Brogan, who suffered a fatal head injury, was pronounced dead just before 3pm.

Mrs Fenton, who was intending to collect her five-year-old son from school, went to the garage where the Audi Q7 had been reversed in and was parked to the right of another car and close to the garage wall. Mrs Fenton moved it as she could not open the passenger door.

The inquest heard Mrs Fenton had told Brogan to stand at the front near side of the Audi as she pulled the car out.

Police accident investigator Robert Eyre said the Audi Q7 would have had “blind spots” due to its size. Recording an accidental death verdict, senior coroner David Hinchliff, said: “This must be the dread of every parent when you do routine things like moving a car and some might say it wasn’t a wise thing to do but often when you are busy you don’t always do things wisely.

“Usually it doesn’t end up in an appalling tragedy like this. On this particular occasion it did. This was a tragic accident.”