RELATIVES of a woman who died after a car was driven over the edge of a cliff in St Brelade have called for more effective measures to be taken in order to prevent another tragedy.
An inquest heard that Ann Robins (84) died when a black Suzuki Swift in which she was a passenger, driven by a long-standing friend, had “inexplicably” failed to stop on the lower car parking area at Corbière and dropped around 14 feet down a slope before turning over.
Mrs Robins’ son Paul and other relatives said that moves to block other vehicles taking the same route had failed, apparently because one of the boulders placed at the site had subsequently been pushed down the hill.
“You don’t want it to happen to someone else – we have gone through enough,” Mr Robins said.
Another family member said she had contacted St Brelade Constable Mike Jackson after the incident, with boulders then being positioned on the edge of the car park, but that when she returned to the site one of the rocks was no longer in place.
Mr Jackson told the JEP yesterday that he had contacted the Infrastructure Department in the aftermath of Mrs Robins’ death, after which action had been taken.
“I was contacted this morning and advised that one of the boulders was no longer there – it was the first I knew about it and I have made contact with Infrastructure again,” he said.
“It’s sad that someone thought it would be a good idea to push the rock out of the way and it seems there’s a need to get something slightly bigger there that would be less easy for anyone to move.”
Coroner’s officer Andy Bisson said the incident occurred on Sunday 7 April last year after a family lunch in St Aubin, after which Mrs Robins agreed to go for a drive with her friend Kathleen Dowling.
The inquest heard that the two women, who had been friends for more than 40 years, had thought it would be a nice idea to visit Corbière and buy ice creams.
A statement from a witness said the car had “inexplicably” proceeded slowly beyond the edge of the car park.
The inquest heard that Mrs Dowling had been driving for more than 60 years, had no previous accidents or convictions on her record and had registered a negative test for alcohol.
In a statement read by PC Bisson, Mrs Dowling said she had tried to move her foot in order to stop the car, and was unable to explain why this hadn’t happened.
Relief coroner Cyril Whelan recorded his official finding that Mrs Robins had died from chest injuries and asphyxiation, and expressed his condolences to her family.
