A woman whose life was “full of adventure” died after being crushed by her own van in Australia, an inquest has heard.
Eleanor Thompson, known to her friends and family as Ellie, was discovered deceased beneath her vehicle in Burringbar, New South Wales, on 11 March. Her death occurred during a tropical cyclone, Ruthin Coroner’s Court was told on Tuesday.
Thompson, 35, originally hailed from Mold, Flintshire, and had spent 12 years living in London. During her time in the capital, she worked across various sectors including insurance, marketing and events, with notable roles at Apple TV and the exclusive Groucho Club.
In 2022, Thompson embarked on a solo journey through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. After returning to the UK for a while, she travelled to Australia in 2023, where she had been converting a van. She had promised her father, Peter Thompson, a road trip later in the year, the inquest heard.
Mr Thompson shared a poignant statement with the court, saying: “Ellie made everyone feel seen and valued.” He added that her life was “full of adventure and movement”.
At the time of her death, Thompson was working in a pub in Mullabimby, New South Wales, and housesitting for a friend in Burringbar.
A police report read by North East Wales coroner John Gittins said: “Although no causal link can be drawn, it’s of significance [that] at the time of her passing an unprecedented and severe tropical cyclone, Alfred, was impacting the region.”
The inquest heard that the storm lasted from 22 February to 8 March, and its impacts were felt into the morning of 11 March.
Thompson sent a text message to her mother, Amanda Thompson, just before midday on 8 March, and then saw a friend, but had not been identified as speaking to anyone else after 1pm that day, the court was told. She then failed to arrive for her shift at work on 10 March.
The inquest was told that friends went to the house where she had been staying on 11 March, and saw her Mazda van was off the side of the driveway, wedged into overgrown vegetation. Thompson’s body was found underneath the vehicle, and she was confirmed dead shortly after midday on 11 March.
A post-mortem examination recorded her cause of death as multiple injuries. Mr Gittins said police in Australia were of the opinion that the vehicle had rolled or slid forward because of the incline of the slope, or inclement weather. Other factors may have included a failure to apply the handbrake, police said.
Mr Thompson told the inquest that the family had visited the site, and that the “unanswered element” was why Thompson was in front of her vehicle when it rolled forwards. The family said they believed she had died on 8 March, as she had not been in touch with anyone since then.
Mrs Thompson said: “Ellie knew people were concerned, she knew I would be concerned. I would definitely have had a text on Sunday, because in the text on Saturday she promised she would be in touch the next day.”
After recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Gittins thanked Thompson’s parents and her brother Luke for attending the inquest. He added: “You must be incredibly proud.”
Mrs Thompson said: “The tributes we had on social media and from her friends, people who spoke at the funeral, it was truly, truly moving. It really has given us great comfort.”
