Hi °C | Lo °C A coroner has praised the efforts of motorists who came to the aid of a Ballymena woman and her children after their car was involved in a crash.
Tanya Lapworth died at the scene of the accident at the junction of the Whitesides Road and the Portglenone Road, between Portglenone and Randalstown, after her car collided with another vehicle on October 31, 2006.
Mrs Lapworth (37), from Burma Place, had been taking five of her six children to visit relatives that morning.
An inquest yesterday heard how her car had pulled out of the Whitesides Road and into the path of a Land Rover Discovery which was travelling along the Portglenone Road.
The force of the impact resulted in Mrs Lapworth's car coming to rest in a nearby field.
Sheldon Murray, who arrived at the scene of the crash moments later, said he could see Mrs Lapworth was either dead or close to death, and he tried to help her young children who were still trapped in the car and in a distressed state.
Another passing motorist, David Campbell, described how he also helped one of Mrs Lapworth's children from the damaged vehicle following the accident.
Robert Colvin, the driver of the vehicle which was in collision with Mrs Lapworth's car, said her car was driving "quite slowly" towards the white line at the junction but that he did not believe it had stopped because he saw the front wheel was still turning.
Mrs Lapworth's daughter, Leanne Downey, who was seriously injured in the crash, said she remembered that her mother had "definitely slowed down" as she approached the junction.
Emerson Callender, who was tasked with forensically examining the scene, said he believed Mrs Lapworth's car had been travelling at around 17mph and Mr Colvin's at around 47mph when the collision occurred.
He said that there had been no obstructions present at the scene which would have affected Mrs Lapworth's vision and that, in his opinion, the Land Rover would have been "in a position to be seen".
The inquest heard that no prosecutions had been made as a result of the accident and that Mrs Lapworth had no alcohol or drugs in her body.
Coroner Suzanne Anderson described it as "a very tragic accident which has sadly left six children without a mother".
She also paid tribute to Mr Murray and Mr Campbell for their efforts to help Mrs Lapworth's children at the scene.
"I am sure the Lapworth family are very grateful to you for your assistance," she told each of them.
