Inquest hears of 'great misfortune' behind tragic Ludlow crash which killed two women
An author was tragically killed when a woman drove into the car she was travelling while attempting to take her own life, an inquest has heard.
Shropshire Senior Coroner John Ellery revealed the sad details during inquests into the deaths of Laura Joanne Tong and Sybil Elaine Condliffe.
Both women died on the evening of May 19 following a crash on New Road in Ludlow.
Mr Ellery heard that Mrs Condliffe, who was 66 and from Ludlow, had been driving a grey Kia XCeed on the road shortly before the crash at around 9.35pm.
Mrs Tong, a 55-year-old author from St Neots, was the passenger in a silver Ford Ka being driven on New Road by her husband Mark.
The inquest was told that Mrs Condliffe, who was over the drink-drive limit and was not wearing a seatbelt, had been intending to take her own life by driving down a hill and into a stone wall.
Mr Ellery said that dashcam evidence recovered from her car had shown she was in a “distressed state” at the time of the incident.
The inquest was told that both vehicles were travelling in the same direction and Mrs Condliffe’s Kia struck the back of Mr Tong’s car.
The impact of the collision forced the Ford into a wall, with both Mrs Tong and Mrs Condliffe suffering fatal injuries.
Both women died at the scene of the crash despite the efforts of paramedics to provide aid.
Mr Tong also suffered serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Mr Ellery said: “It was their great misfortune that their vehicle, which was travelling at a comparatively low speed, was hit by Mrs Condliffe’s vehicle at a greater speed from behind.”
Mr Ellery said there was "no evidence" Mrs Condliffe had intended to drive into Mr Tong’s vehicle.
A police investigation found Mrs Condliffe had 91 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood in her system; the legal limit is 80mg per 100ml.
An examination found that the road conditions were dry and that the crash had taken place at twilight, with street lights illuminated on the route.
A police report from PC Tim Viner said: “It is clear how this collision occurred. The Kia collided with the rear of the Ford, pushing it into a wall.”
He added there was “no evidence of any braking” from the Kia before the crash.
He said: “It has all the hallmarks of it being an intended act on the part of Elaine Condliffe.”
The inquest heard it was not possible to determine the exact speed of the crash, but that GPS data from Mrs Condliffe’s vehicle showed the car was moving at around 52mph on the 30mph-limited road.
Recording his conclusion Mr Ellery said: “Mrs Condliffe intended to kill herself by driving down a steep hill in Ludlow into a stone wall. She was over the drink-drive limit, she was not wearing a seatbelt, and dashcam evidence indicates she was in a distressed state and intended to kill herself."
He added: “There is no evidence she intended to hit the car in front - or any car.”
Mr Ellery said both Mrs and Mr Tong had been wearing seatbelts, and their vehicle was on the correct side of the road travelling at a ‘comparatively low speed’.
Recording his conclusion Mr Ellery said: “It is my view that Mrs Condliffe’s death was due to suicide and Mrs Tong’s death was caused in the act of suicide of another.”
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