Poker queen killed in crash at her first world tournament
A BRITISH poker player tipped for success was killed in a car crash during her first world tournament.
Emma Fryer, 42 – nicknamed The Queen of Poker – was being driven to her hotel in thick fog in the Czech Republic when the car hit a lamp post after the satnav failed to warn of a roundabout.
The mother of two, who had just embarked on a new life as a professional card player, suffered multiple injuries and died in hospital three days later, an inquest heard. The driver, fellow player David Nelson, was convicted of negligence after the crash, which happened while they were attending the World Series of Poker Europe Tournament in the village of Rozvadov on November 5, 2017.
Mrs Fryer, from Alsager, Cheshire, banked almost £45,000 at a previous event and was said to be ‘riding a rich vein of form’ at the time of her death. She had secured backing to play professionally a month before the crash.
Her mother also said she was ‘the happiest she had ever been’ after quitting her job as a casino VIP account manager for Bet365 to become a full-time poker player.
Mr Nelson gave Mrs Fryer a lift from the casino, entering the location of their hotel into a navigation app on his mobile.
He said in a statement: ‘The fog was very bad and we could only see about 25 metres in front of us. While driving, I saw a sign for a roundabout, but there was no warning from my satnav, so I hit the brakes.
‘ The car skidded around about 180 degrees and we hit a lamp post. The front windscreen was cracked and Emma was leaning on her airbag complaining that her nose was bleeding.’
Mr Nelson said that he had passed a breath test before being sent to a different hospital to Mrs Fryer. The hearing was told that Mr Nelson’s conviction was equivalent to a charge of causing death by careless driving. The sentence he received is not known.
Mrs Fryer’s mother, Sheila Waring, told the hearing: ‘It was such a shock, it still feels
‘Going to be her breakout year’
surreal. Everything was going so well for her, she was the happiest she had ever been.’
Mrs Fryer’s family said she had just learned that her daughter was pregnant when the crash happened.
Mrs Fryer’s sister, Liz Carter, 32, said: ‘Emma was so sociable. If you met her once you would remember her.
‘She was never still – she was always doing something.’
Another sister, Sally Parton, 38, said: ‘Everyone said this was going to be her breakout year in poker, when she was going to make it to the top.
‘She was so popular – she was like a celebrity.’
Coroner Peter Sigee recorded a conclusion of death by road traffic collision at the hearing in Crewe.