Inquest - what to expect
Discussion
Hi all,
Keeping the same somber note as my last post (about a friend drink driving) I've now got another cheery topic for you.
Back in December I hit a car that was travelling the wrong way down the A2 (3 lane carriageway with central barrier). He was 83 and died in the accident and I have been summoned to the coroner's court tomorrow for the inquest.
As much as there wasn't anything I could do about the accident, and the police haven't at any time implied that I am at fault, I'm really nervous about what it's going to be like, probably made worse by the idea of reliving the memory of a 150mph head on impact.
Has anyone attended an inquest before? What should I expect?
Cheers,
Luke
Keeping the same somber note as my last post (about a friend drink driving) I've now got another cheery topic for you.
Back in December I hit a car that was travelling the wrong way down the A2 (3 lane carriageway with central barrier). He was 83 and died in the accident and I have been summoned to the coroner's court tomorrow for the inquest.
As much as there wasn't anything I could do about the accident, and the police haven't at any time implied that I am at fault, I'm really nervous about what it's going to be like, probably made worse by the idea of reliving the memory of a 150mph head on impact.
Has anyone attended an inquest before? What should I expect?
Cheers,
Luke
xxlukexx said:
Has anyone attended an inquest before? What should I expect?
Cheers,
Luke
Many years ago I have. I just gave my side of the story - there was never going to be any implication that I somehow caused my work collegue to become the 'earth' contact to an 11,000 volt overhead power line with a high-lift tractor trailer......however I very much felt the 'guilt' of the survivor at the time.
I was just 19 at the time & found the whole episode to be harrowing to say the least especially with all the inquiries that followed
Whilst different circumstances, I would imagine that the inquest will be trying to decide whether suicide may have been why the 83 year old was driving in the wrong direction.
You are right - it will be horrible re-living this in court as the deceased relations will be present, but I am sure they <i>won't</i> be pointing the finger at you!
I had my solicitor to hold my hand who (knowing the bench (?) etc) managed to get me out of court after saying my bit as I dreaded having to go through any more of the episode in court. Verdict - accidental death.
Good luck & HTH
George
>> Edited by yoda954 on Monday 8th August 11:01
about 4 years ago I had to attend one as I was the driver of a vehicle involved in a head on RTA.
As the other guy couldn't make it, they had to rely upon a testimony from his mate who was travelling 'with' him, albeit 10 seconds ahead.
Basically, the coroner just wants pure facts. They don't endeavour to apply blame or penalty.
They need the bare bones to arrive at a cause of death.
They will then detail the injuries etc, for any interested parties; family etc.
Stay calm, remain lucid and have a drink afterwards (or buy a couple of albums)
As the other guy couldn't make it, they had to rely upon a testimony from his mate who was travelling 'with' him, albeit 10 seconds ahead.
Basically, the coroner just wants pure facts. They don't endeavour to apply blame or penalty.
They need the bare bones to arrive at a cause of death.
They will then detail the injuries etc, for any interested parties; family etc.
Stay calm, remain lucid and have a drink afterwards (or buy a couple of albums)
In 1984, I was in an accident where a 14 year old lad died.
I won't bore you with details but I was the driver of the car and the kid pulled across me on a bicycle. Five days later, they turned the life support off.
I, and several witnesses, made statements to the police at the time of the accident and so, when I was called at the inquest, my statement was read out and (whilst under oath) the coroner and other officials were entitled to ask questions. The coroner asked the police if any prosecution was being made against me - which wasn't the case.
The police, the people there were all brilliant. I met the boys parents and fully expected abuse etc but they were nothing short of fantastic.
Despite losing their son, it was apparent that it wasn't my fault and they said that they hoped that I could put it behind me and get on with my life.
It was very emotional and not at all as much a nightmare as I thought it would be.
I feel for you and hope all goes well....
>> Edited by Davel on Monday 8th August 17:01
I won't bore you with details but I was the driver of the car and the kid pulled across me on a bicycle. Five days later, they turned the life support off.
I, and several witnesses, made statements to the police at the time of the accident and so, when I was called at the inquest, my statement was read out and (whilst under oath) the coroner and other officials were entitled to ask questions. The coroner asked the police if any prosecution was being made against me - which wasn't the case.
The police, the people there were all brilliant. I met the boys parents and fully expected abuse etc but they were nothing short of fantastic.
Despite losing their son, it was apparent that it wasn't my fault and they said that they hoped that I could put it behind me and get on with my life.
It was very emotional and not at all as much a nightmare as I thought it would be.
I feel for you and hope all goes well....
>> Edited by Davel on Monday 8th August 17:01
I've been to an inquest once as the witness to a fatal collision and once with my wife after her aunt died whilst in 'care' as the care wasn't up to scratch.
Coroners court is not quite like a magistrates court as they can and do ask for opinion.
You will be nervous - that is natural, and the Coroner will understand that. I presume you have had legal advice. They should be able to tell you what to expect.
If you know there was nothing you could have done then focus on that. FWIW the driver at the one where I had witnessed the fatal collision was treated excellently by all concerned. He was considered to be another 'victim' in his own way.
Coroners court is not quite like a magistrates court as they can and do ask for opinion.
You will be nervous - that is natural, and the Coroner will understand that. I presume you have had legal advice. They should be able to tell you what to expect.
If you know there was nothing you could have done then focus on that. FWIW the driver at the one where I had witnessed the fatal collision was treated excellently by all concerned. He was considered to be another 'victim' in his own way.
Davel said:
In 1984, I was in an accident where a 14 year old lad died.
I won't bore you with details but I was the driver of the car and the kid pulled across me on a bicycle. Five days later, they turned the life support off.
I, and several witnesses, made statements to the police at the time of the accident and so, when I was called at the inquest, my statement was read out and (whilst under oath) the coroner and other officials were entitled to ask questions. The coroner asked the police if any prosecution was being made against me - which wasn't the case.
The police, the people there were all brilliant. I met the boys parents and fully expected abuse etc but they were nothing short of fantastic.
Despite losing their son, it was apparent that it wasn't my fault and thay said that they hoped that I could put it behind me and get on with my life.
It was very emotional and not at all as much a nightmare as I thought it would be.
I feel for you and hope all goes well....
Very nice result there. Its a shame it would not happen like that these days. You would have been branded something like a "speedophile", the parents would try to find a way to get some cash out of something and the scamera partnership would try to dig in on it as well.
Hopefully nice and sensible people like them still exist somewhere in this once tolerable country
xxlukexx
Nothing to worry about and do not the solemnity of the occasion get to you.
An Inquest has to be held where someone has met a violent, unexpected death or death in a prison.
The Coroner will sit alone and assisted by the Coroners Officer - serving BiB or civilan.He has all the case papers, i.e. statements from witnesses, statement of identity of the deceased, Post Mortem Report.
His function is not to apportion blame but to find out when, where and how the deceased met his death and the cause. Accidental death or Death by Misadventure (indicative of some blame somewhere).
You would have informed your Insurance Co of the accident. Generally, as the driver of the other car involved, they provide a Solicitor, to oversee and protect their interests. Are the Insurance Co aware of the Inquest and if so are they providing a Solicitor?. If so that's a burden off your mind. You will probably find that a Solicitor will be present to represent the interests of the Deceased.
The Coroner may just read your statement out but he may well call you to give evidence and after taking the oath lead you through your statement. At the end you may well have questions put to you by the Deceased's rep.
The Inquest terminates when the Coroner delivers his verdict.
Stick truthfully to the bare facts and you will be OK.
DVD
Nothing to worry about and do not the solemnity of the occasion get to you.
An Inquest has to be held where someone has met a violent, unexpected death or death in a prison.
The Coroner will sit alone and assisted by the Coroners Officer - serving BiB or civilan.He has all the case papers, i.e. statements from witnesses, statement of identity of the deceased, Post Mortem Report.
His function is not to apportion blame but to find out when, where and how the deceased met his death and the cause. Accidental death or Death by Misadventure (indicative of some blame somewhere).
You would have informed your Insurance Co of the accident. Generally, as the driver of the other car involved, they provide a Solicitor, to oversee and protect their interests. Are the Insurance Co aware of the Inquest and if so are they providing a Solicitor?. If so that's a burden off your mind. You will probably find that a Solicitor will be present to represent the interests of the Deceased.
The Coroner may just read your statement out but he may well call you to give evidence and after taking the oath lead you through your statement. At the end you may well have questions put to you by the Deceased's rep.
The Inquest terminates when the Coroner delivers his verdict.
Stick truthfully to the bare facts and you will be OK.
DVD
Coroners are experienced in dealing with the emotional aspects of situations such as yours. The coroner will not put you under pressure. He will tell you that the inquest is not about finding guilt or blame but a factual enquiry into a death. Nothing more than that.
The coroner can only give a verdict of
1. Natural causes
2. Misadventure
3. Unlawful killing
4. Accidental death
5. Open verdict (when there is no clear explanation either for the circumstances of the death or the medical reasons for it or a combination of both).
I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the verdict will be 4. above.
Do not worry about your attendance at the inquest. The Police officer (usually) who is coroners officer will look after your interests if there is anything you are uncertain about. It is probable that other police officers will be there as well. This will be the accident investigation specialist and the OIC who attended and become the case examiner and reporting officer. Dont be afraid to ask them for guidance as they will have more than likely been to this sort of enquiry before and will know the procedure well.
I wish you luck. Do not fret over it as it is not as bad as you may think.
The coroner can only give a verdict of
1. Natural causes
2. Misadventure
3. Unlawful killing
4. Accidental death
5. Open verdict (when there is no clear explanation either for the circumstances of the death or the medical reasons for it or a combination of both).
I can say without a shadow of a doubt that the verdict will be 4. above.
Do not worry about your attendance at the inquest. The Police officer (usually) who is coroners officer will look after your interests if there is anything you are uncertain about. It is probable that other police officers will be there as well. This will be the accident investigation specialist and the OIC who attended and become the case examiner and reporting officer. Dont be afraid to ask them for guidance as they will have more than likely been to this sort of enquiry before and will know the procedure well.
I wish you luck. Do not fret over it as it is not as bad as you may think.
Here is a full list of verdicts, to expand on gone's. (his list missed suicide, which is quite an important one)
* Natural causes
* Accident/misadventure
* Suicide
* Open verdict
* Unlawful killing
* Lawful killing
* Dependence on drugs/non-dependent abuse of drugs
* Industrial disease
* Attempted/self induced abortion
* Still birth
* Want of attention at birth.
* Natural causes
* Accident/misadventure
* Suicide
* Open verdict
* Unlawful killing
* Lawful killing
* Dependence on drugs/non-dependent abuse of drugs
* Industrial disease
* Attempted/self induced abortion
* Still birth
* Want of attention at birth.
Thanks, everyone, for your comments and good wishes. It is certainly a weight off my mind to hear that the process is not designed to be scary or to point fingers.
I have to say that my experience with the police has been 100% throughout this, from breathylising me at the scene and driving me home to taking the statement a month or so later they were fantastic and I didn't feel like anyone thought it was my fault. The fact that a traffic patrol who attended the scene first had missed having a head on with the guy "by millimetres" a couple of miles earlier probably helped.
One thing that this dicussion raises is that I haven't heard anything about a solicitor. My insurers at the time, Adrian Flux, have provided a solicitor for me to claim back my uninsured losses and the claim is proceeding but I've not heard anything about representation for tomorrow. I just assumed it wasn't relevant at a coroners court?
Cheers,
Luke
I have to say that my experience with the police has been 100% throughout this, from breathylising me at the scene and driving me home to taking the statement a month or so later they were fantastic and I didn't feel like anyone thought it was my fault. The fact that a traffic patrol who attended the scene first had missed having a head on with the guy "by millimetres" a couple of miles earlier probably helped.
One thing that this dicussion raises is that I haven't heard anything about a solicitor. My insurers at the time, Adrian Flux, have provided a solicitor for me to claim back my uninsured losses and the claim is proceeding but I've not heard anything about representation for tomorrow. I just assumed it wasn't relevant at a coroners court?
Cheers,
Luke
g_attrill said:
Here is a full list of verdicts, to expand on gone's. (his list missed suicide, which is quite an important one)
* Natural causes
* Accident/misadventure
* Suicide
* Open verdict
* Unlawful killing
* Lawful killing
* Dependence on drugs/non-dependent abuse of drugs
* Industrial disease
* Attempted/self induced abortion
* Still birth
* Want of attention at birth.
Thanks. I didn't think the rest were really related to the situation he was in. But thanks for printing the rest of them including the suicide which could be a verdict that the coroner may consider if there is eviednce to that.
I'd arrive 15 minutes before.
Get a cup of coffee and find out where you'll be sitting etc.
You'll need to find your spot and make yourself comfortable.
It would be disrespectful to arrive late and only make you more anxious if you were the last one to arrive or held up for some reason.
Your insurers would normally have a solicitor present and they might ask, if you are under oath, if there is anything that you could have done to have avoided the accident.
Don't worry, as others have said, you are not on trial here. The intention is to find the cause of death.
Get a cup of coffee and find out where you'll be sitting etc.
You'll need to find your spot and make yourself comfortable.
It would be disrespectful to arrive late and only make you more anxious if you were the last one to arrive or held up for some reason.
Your insurers would normally have a solicitor present and they might ask, if you are under oath, if there is anything that you could have done to have avoided the accident.
Don't worry, as others have said, you are not on trial here. The intention is to find the cause of death.
It is more relaxed than any other Court and you will be told exactly what to do. The Coroner will be very knowledgable about the evidence and will lead you through what he wants.
As an aside.......Coroners Court is the only Court that Police Officers have to wear a Jacket.......(formal but nice).
As an aside.......Coroners Court is the only Court that Police Officers have to wear a Jacket.......(formal but nice).
xxlukexx said:
Hi all,
Keeping the same somber note as my last post (about a friend drink driving) I've now got another cheery topic for you.
Back in December I hit a car that was travelling the wrong way down the A2 (3 lane carriageway with central barrier). He was 83 and died in the accident and I have been summoned to the coroner's court tomorrow for the inquest.
As much as there wasn't anything I could do about the accident, and the police haven't at any time implied that I am at fault, I'm really nervous about what it's going to be like, probably made worse by the idea of reliving the memory of a 150mph head on impact.
Has anyone attended an inquest before? What should I expect?
Cheers,
Luke
I feel for you Liebchen. But ist usually very caring und considerate. It was the case for Ferdl und it was same for me when they had inquest into man who died when he hit my car that time. He was taken ill before he hit me.
Arrive about 15 -20 minute early as gives time for coffee, loo und mouth freshen. Und stay calm. Have camomile
tea und maybe Bach's Rescue Remedy drops from chemist in drop of water may help. 
You have time to call in Boots or H&B in morning.Hi everyone,
So I just got back from the inquest and you were all right, it was nothing to worry about. The guy's son was there, but he wasn't giving me the evil eye or anything, he just sat there and listened.
The verdict was accidental death, as gone predicted. The only new thing that I found out was that the guy had stopped on the hard shoulder and done a u-turn to end up driving the wrong way in the fast lane.
There wasn't any discussion as to whether he was trying to commit suicide, so I don't think I'll ever know. As much as he could have been old and confused, or suffering something like alzheimers, the fact that he stopped, turned around and then drove in the fast lane suggests maybe he did do it on purpose. Apparently he didn't leave any skid marks, but they couldn't determine from the brake light bulbs whether the brakes were applied at all or not.
Anyway, now that it's all over, if anyone wants to see the effects on a Rover 200 of a 150mph impact here are some pictures:
www.hallroad.f2s.com/crash/
Thanks to everyone who replied,
Luke
So I just got back from the inquest and you were all right, it was nothing to worry about. The guy's son was there, but he wasn't giving me the evil eye or anything, he just sat there and listened.
The verdict was accidental death, as gone predicted. The only new thing that I found out was that the guy had stopped on the hard shoulder and done a u-turn to end up driving the wrong way in the fast lane.
There wasn't any discussion as to whether he was trying to commit suicide, so I don't think I'll ever know. As much as he could have been old and confused, or suffering something like alzheimers, the fact that he stopped, turned around and then drove in the fast lane suggests maybe he did do it on purpose. Apparently he didn't leave any skid marks, but they couldn't determine from the brake light bulbs whether the brakes were applied at all or not.
Anyway, now that it's all over, if anyone wants to see the effects on a Rover 200 of a 150mph impact here are some pictures:
www.hallroad.f2s.com/crash/
Thanks to everyone who replied,
Luke
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