Drowning tragedy: Vet could not have been saved
SHE TRIED TO RESCUE HER DOGS AS CAR SWEPT AWAY
A YOUNG vet who drowned when her car was swept away by floodwater in a Derbyshire brook could not have been rescued by the emergency services, a coroner has ruled.
Heike Mojay-Sinclare had been driving to a friend’s birthday party in the Peak District on December 9, 2018, when she tried to cross a ford in Doles Lane, near Ashbourne.
An inquest heard that the 29-yearold, who had driven from her home in Hertfordshire with her two dogs in the car, was left trapped in the vehicle when it become caught in the waters of Henmore Brook.
The water had swollen beyond its normal level due to extreme weather, something the inquest was told also hampered the search and rescue operation to try to find her.
In a frantic 999 call from her car, Mrs Mojay-Sinclare was heard saying “I thought it was a ford” and “I’m sinking”, before the line cut out.
Her body, along with those of her dogs, was found in the car the next morning once water levels had dropped.
Her husband, Chester Mojay-Sinclare, previously spoke of his devastation at the death of his “empathetic, loving and caring” wife.
At the conclusion of the inquest into her death, assistant coroner Peter Nieto said it was not clear why she had driven down the country lane as it would not feature on a recommended route plan and she would not have been familiar with it.
Mr Nieto said Derbyshire County Council had installed signs warning there was a ford on the lane leading up to it, and that these signs stated it was unsuitable for motor vehicles.
“From Heike’s comments to emergency services in a call from her car when in the water, it appears she had noticed a ford sign,” he said.
He added that the ford’s depth gauge, which reaches two metres in height, may not have been visible to Mrs Mojay-Sinclare due to the extreme rise in the water level.
This gauge had been installed following a previous serious incident at the ford, and after concerns were raised by residents and the parish council.
Mr Nieto said it was “not clear that the local authority was aware of a number of other previous incidents at the ford, about which the inquest heard some details, and those incidents may not have been shared by relevant agencies”.
He added that the inquest had been told that depth gauge requirements for fords are not currently covered by regulations for highways.
However, the road itself has since been permanently closed to all through traffic, meaning it can now only be used for access by residents.
Mr Nieto said it was unlikely Mrs Mojay-Sinclare appreciated the danger or the potential depth of the water when entering the ford.
“The water rose fast inside her car and she was very concerned with saving her two dogs in the rear of the car,” he said.
“The indication from the transcript of the call to emergency services is that she climbed through into the rear of the car to see to her dogs and then became stuck.
“Given the time of the sudden ending of Heike’s call to emergency services, an effective rescue was impossible.”
He recorded a conclusion of accidental death, with a medical cause of death of drowning.
Mr Nieto said he would send a report recommending regulation of depth gauges and greater sharing of information about flood-related incidents.