Woman dies suddenly after tractor crash - inquest

A woman who died suddenly in hospital a month after her car hit a tractor had been making a good recovery and planning for the future, an inquest has heard.

Sarah Grimshaw, 39, from Chirk, Wrexham, was on her way to work on 31 January 2024 when the crash took place on Abbey Road, Llangollen, Denbighshire.

The inquest heard Mrs Grimshaw sustained "serious injuries" which required operations at the Royal Stoke Hospital - including one to repair her shattered pelvis.

She was said to have been in "good spirits" while undergoing continued treatment at Wrexham Maelor Hospital before suffering a cardiac arrest on 27 February due to pulmonary thrombosis.

The hearing at Ruthin was told the former special needs teacher had begun working in a care home in Llangollen during the Covid-19 pandemic and had been on her way there on the morning of the collision.

The driver of the tractor, Thomas Morris, 27, told the inquest he was on his way to feed sheep in Trevor when the accident occurred. 

He described seeing a car up the road, but as it got closer he "realised she was coming fast" with her "front wheels clearly in my side of the road".

He added there had been no parked cars on the side of the road to force her into the other lane.

Mr Morris said the car hit his back wheel, before spinning 180 degrees and colliding with some railings.  

He said Mrs Grimshaw told him she could not feel her legs and he called 999.

Mrs Grimshaw had to be cut free from her vehicle, a Kia Rio, by firefighters.

John Gittins, senior coroner for north Wales, east and central, said there was nowhere near sufficient evidence the collision was a deliberate act.

He said Mrs Grimshaw's death was due to pulmonary thrombosis from a deep vein thrombosis, caused by immobility following injuries caused by the crash.

Mr Gittins concluded her death was due to the road traffic collision. He said: "I believe the injuries sustained and subsequent operations were the catalyst to the sad events that unfolded on 27 February 2024."

He added even with the anti-coagulation medication Mrs Grimshaw was on, it is "recognised blood can settle and clot when someone isn't moving".

"It all stems back to immobility," he said.

Mrs Grimshaw's father, Geoffrey Stanton, told the inquest his daughter had studied for a degree in history and philosophy at Keele University before completing a PGCE.

A previous family statement said Mrs Grimshaw had a "heart of gold flowing with endless love for all people and animals" and "the unique ability to walk into a room and brighten up everyone's day with boundless energy and sheer craziness".

They described her as "the kindest, most selfless wife, daughter, sister, Brownie leader and animal lover, whose infectious warmth made the world a better place for all she came into contact".