A woman reportdely 'sat down in the middle of the road' before a car smashed into her, an inquest heard. Antonia St Louis, 27, was killed in the fatal collision after suffering 'unsurvivable injuries'.
An inquest into the beautician's death at South Manchester Coroners' Court heard Miss Louis was out with a friend on the day of the incident back in 2020. The pair were walking along a road near a retail park in Greater Manchester in in the early hours of November 28, 2020.
The duo then stopped in the middle of the three lanes, with CCTV footage showing Miss Louis then sitting on the floor. Manchester Evening News reports that the 27-year-old was then hit by a Volkswagen Golf at around 3.40am.
The vehicle was being driven by Andrew Copeland who stayed at the scene to assist police. No charges were brought against Mr Copeland.
The court heard that Miss Louis tragically died at the scene. Forensic collision reconstruction officer PC Paul Terry says the motorist was travelling at around 40mph at the point of collision.
However, due to the dark conditions at the time, he the officer believes that Mr Copeland did not have enough time to react. Pathologist Dr Charles Wilson told the court that alcohol and cocaine were found in Miss Louis' system.
Dr Wilson added that fractures and internal injuries sustained led to Miss Louis dying 'quickly' at the scene. He diagnosed that her cause of death was due to 'chest injuries'.
The court also heard from a number of mental health professionals regarding issues around Miss Louis' mental heath during the time period. Coroner Adrian Farrow and Miss Louis' family raised concerns over some aspects of her care, including her discharge from a mental health ward to a home-based team at the end of September.
The coroner said Ms Louis had earlier thoughts of self-harm, but added that there was no evidence to suggest she was in that frame of mind at the time of her death. Mr Farrow believes that she was not likely to have been deliberately trying to put herself in danger by sitting in the road.
He described a lack of staff, especially care coordinators, in the mental health service as 'unsatisfactory'. Mr Farrow said:"That person [care coordinator] may have been able to address her complex needs around alcohol and drugs and may have been a source of support for her.
"But I can't say a care coordinator would have stopped her from drinking as she did on November 28." Meanwhile, Miss Louis aunt Tanya Roxbrough paid tribute to a 'lovely girl' who 'loved her family' and was 'quite a character'.
She said her niece struggled during the first Covid lockdown, which had a knock-on effect on her mental health.
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