Coroner's verdict after death of retired scout leader who fell and broke hip when his car rolled off recovery truck
A retired scout leader who fell and broke his hip after his car was reversed off a recovery truck died as a result of a road traffic collision, a coroner has concluded.
An inquest into the death of Peter Frank Hegenbarth was held this week after the 88-year-old fell on the “freezing cold” road in Oswestry. He died at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital six days later.
Shropshire Coroner’s Court at Guildhall, Shrewsbury, was told how Mr Hegenbarth called for roadside assistance when he and his wife Mavis became stranded after their Citroen Berlingo broke down on January 9 last year.
Recovery truck driver Julian Stone tried to “bump-start” the car for them in Gobowen Road by rolling it backwards off the ramp of his vehicle.
However Mr Hegenbarth, who was standing behind the vehicles, “twisted, lost his footing and fell in slow-motion”.
A witness at the scene shouted: “You’ve hit him!” to Mr Stone.
However, there was no dashcam or CCTV footage which confirmed a collision, and none of the witnesses could be positive when they spoke to police that they saw the car hit Mr Hegenbarth before he fell.
The Crown Prosecution Service advised police there was not a realistic prospect of conviction of Mr Stone for causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving.
After several witness statements were given and evidence was reviewed on Wednesday (August 6), Heath Westerman, deputy coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, retired to consider his conclusion. He provided his findings yesterday (August 8).
Mr Westerman said: “Peter Frank Hegenbarth sustained a fractured right hip after stepping out of the way from his Citroen Berlingo which was being reversed off the back of a recovery truck in order to bump-start it.
“He stumbled and fell half on and half off the pavement.
“Mr Hegenbarth was admitted to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital on the same day and, despite appropriate treatment and care, died on January 15, 2024 at the hospital.
“He died as the result of pneumonia in association with chronic obstructive airways disease and hospitalisation as a consequence of fractured hip. His death was contributed to by cardiomegaly [an enlarged heart].”
Mr Westerman recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision, and said he does not propose to issue a report to prevent future deaths in relation to Mr Hegenbarth’s case.
“My sincere condolences again to Mr Hegenbarth’s family and friends.”
