A grandmother who went to the supermarket with her husband to pick up milk died after getting stuck under the wheels of a car.
Rosemary Macandrew, 61, was at a Waitrose store in Newark, Nottinghamshire, when she was hit by a vehicle being driven by Noel Maguire on 5 July last year.
She was pronounced dead at the scene, while Mr Maguire – who was 89 at the time – died last month.
A coroner has said she will write to the transport secretary, after raising concerns about self-certification of driving licences for people over 70 years old.
Nottingham Coroner’s Court heard Mr Maguire had driven the short distance to the supermarket from his home, and after dropping off items for recycling, he drove into a disabled parking bay.
After a passerby informed him he had damaged a neighbouring vehicle, Mr Maguire attempted to correct the parking, but during his manoeuvre he put his foot on the accelerator instead of the brake, causing his car to turn away at speed.
Eyewitnesses reported seeing the car crash into a number of other vehicles and hit two women.
Ms Macandrew – known to her family as Rose – was trapped under the front, and onlookers called emergency services at about 13:30 BST.
They arrived shortly afterwards, but Ms Macandrew was pronounced dead at 14:11.
Georgina Luke, the officer in the case for Nottinghamshire Police, said she interviewed Mr Maguire, and in a prepared statement he said he had become “very confused” after a woman said he had damaged another vehicle.
He said he had felt “fine” on the day, but told police the area “isn’t the easiest of car parks to navigate”.
Ms Luke said Mr Maguire reported having little recollection of the circumstances around the crash.
“It now feels likely I had some sort of mental paralysis,” he told her.
“I find it very difficult to process what exactly happened.”
The inquest heard Mr Maguire had been found to have no alcohol or drugs in his system, and no mechanical faults were found in his car.
Neither the weather nor the condition of the car park were considered as factors affecting the crash.
Dale Bruce, a forensic chief inspector for Nottinghamshire Police, told the court Mr Maguire may have had “sudden acceleration syndrome”, in which a driver, meaning to apply the brake, instead steps on the accelerator and then becomes further confused when trying to correct themselves.
He said Mr Maguire’s age might have been a factor, noting how people’s cognitive ability declines as they get older.
On the crash, he said: “The collision was solely due to the actions of Mr Maguire.”
The inquest also heard Mr Maguire had been complying with the legal requirement to confirm every three years that he was still able to drive, as motorists over 70 are supposed to do.
Meranda Foley, a GP at the surgery he attended, said no concerns had been raised during assessments in the years leading up to the crash that he was unfit to drive.
She said it was the patient’s responsibility to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) if they had become unfit to be behind the wheel, but said if any concerns were raised during a visit, medical staff could contact the agency.
Beth Brown, assistant coroner, concluded Ms Macandrew died as a result of chest injuries sustained during a collision as a pedestrian.
Describing it as “a tragic case”, she said Mr Maguire became confused when reversing and turning out of the bay.
“This had the devastating consequences of the car reversing at speed,” she said.
“Neither of [the women hit by the car] had sufficient time to avoid being struck by the vehicle.”
Ms Brown agreed with Mr Bruce that “the incident was entirely one of driver error”, and issued a prevention of future deaths report to highlight her concerns about the self-certification system for older drivers, citing similarities with other cases across the UK.
“I’m concerned that further deaths may arise in circumstances similar to these,” she said.
The inquest had heard a statement from Ms Macandrew’s family, which said she was “the heart and soul of our family” and “a beautiful and gentle person” who loved knitting and crocheting, seeing her children’s bands and visiting her grandchildren.
After the hearing, her daughter Chantelle Cattermole said the family was pleased to see the coroner issue a prevention of future deaths report, but said the family were still concerned others could suffer as they had.
“I feel this could have been prevented, because there are so many other [cases],” she said.
Tracey Macandrew also spoke of not wanting to see others suffer like she has since her mother’s death.
“I wouldn’t want to see this happen to anyone or any other family,” she said.
“It’s the worst feeling in the world – I still can’t process any of it.”
