Inquest concludes into the death of Rosemary Macandrew who died at Waitrose carpark on Ossington Way, Newark

A family say they will never get justice after a beloved grandmother was killed in a supermarket carpark by an 89-year-old driver.

Rosemary Macandrew died on July 5 last year at the Waitrose carpark, in Ossington Way, Newark, after she was left trapped under a reversing vehicle.

Rosemary, who was asked by the family to be referred to as Rose, was pronounced dead at 4.11pm at the scene by the emergency services. She was 61.

The coroner, Beth Brown, concluded Rose’s cause of death was chest injuries, which she sustained after being struck by a vehicle and getting trapped under it.

It was heard that Rose went to Waitrose to buy milk and that her husband, Stephen Macandrew, stayed in the car to wait for her.

The inquest, which concluded today (April 28) at Nottingham City Council, heard that 89-year-old Noel Maguire was trying to park his Volkswagen in a disabled parking space, when he scraped the vehicle next to it.

Mr Maguire, who died in March this year at the age of 90, held a valid driver’s licence and there were no medical restrictions to prevent him driving.

Alexandra Abraham saw Mr Maguire hit the vehicle next to his when she was walking to her own car alongside her mother.

She approached the vehicle and knocked on the window in an effort to assist Mr Maguire in reversing and parking in the proper place.

As he attempted to reverse out of the bay under her guidance, he pressed the accelerator instead of the brake.

The vehicle reversed at speed, and with the door open, it knocked over Mrs Abraham and collided with other cars while continuing to reverse.

As it reversed across the car park, it hit a Ford Fiesta, pushing it into a hedgerow, before hitting another car - close to where Rose had got out of her own car or was standing nearby.

The inquest heard that Rose had no chance to escape and was struck and trapped underneath the reversing Volkswagen. It continued reversing, damaging several other parked cars, before coming to a stop.

The post mortem examination revealed that Rose suffered external and internal injuries following the collision and that she suffered injuries to her chest, a laceration to her heart, lungs and also had fractured ribs. The medical cause of death was recorded as chest injuries.

PSI Georgina Luke, who collected and reviewed evidence from witnesses, told the inquest that, despite a lack of CCTV evidence and dash cam footage, forensic collision investigator Dale Bruce was able to build a clear picture of the incident.

Mr Bruce said tyre marks, vehicle damage and melted tarmac indicated that the car had reversed at high speed. One reason for this could be sudden acceleration syndrome - an unintended acceleration of a vehicle, which can be caused by driver error or mechanical problems. Nothing was found to be wrong with the car.

Coroner Mrs Brown accepted Mr Bruce’s findings and noted that Mr Maguire’s confusion and panic were evident from his pre-prepared statement, where he said he had no clear memory of the collision after the initial shock.

Rose was mother to four children — Tracey Macandrew, Antony Macandrew, Richard Macandrew and Chantelle Cattermole — a wife to Stephen Macandrew and the grandmother of eight children.

The family described Rose as being “the heart and soul of the family” and the “most caring and supportive mother anyone could ask for”.

She was said to be incredibly talented, knitted for her children and grandchildren and was a big music fan, especially of her children, who are musically talented.

Despite the inquest being dedicated to finding a cause of death, with no criminal intentions, the family said that they will never get justice due to the death of Mr Maguire. They believe that the laws regarding elderly people driving should be reviewed.

While Mr Maguire complied with all legal requirements to drive, having a renewed driver’s licence through the UK’s self-certification process for drivers over 70, the coroner experienced serious concerns about the current system.

She said: “I am concerned that future deaths may arise in scenarios similar to this, where a driver with vulnerabilities, including age, could compromise the quality of their driving and create a risk of death.”

As a result, Mrs Brown said she will issue a Prevention of Future Deaths report to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, urging a review of the elderly driver self-certification process.

While she stressed she could not enforce change, the Secretary of State must respond within 56 days.

The coroner concluded: “This is a tragic case of a much-loved wife, mum, grandmother and friend.

“Rose sounded like an amazing woman, and those crochet skills, I’m sure, are sadly missed.”