Inquest Concludes Into Pensioner’s Death

The family of a woman who died three weeks after a vehicle reversed into her in a hospital car park have spoken out following an inquest into her death.

Tasneem Ahmad suffered a severe brain injury and skull fractures when she was knocked to the ground during the collision which happened when she was attending a routine appointment at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester. As the 68-year-old lay on the ground the car then drove over her leg, an inquest heard.

Her daughter Naila banged on the car to alert the driver to the collision, Leicester Coroner’s Court was told.

Passers-by and hospital staff rushed to Tasneem’s aid. She was taken to hospital and was placed in an induced coma. However, the mum-of-three never regained consciousness and died three weeks later after suffering a cardiac arrest.

Following Tasneem’s death her family instructed expert road accident lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help establish answers as to why she died and support them through the inquest process.

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They have now joined their legal team at Irwin Mitchell in speaking out to encourage motorists to take more care to check their surroundings when reversing in areas heavily populated with pedestrians.

It comes after an inquest was told that the brain injury Tasneem suffered in the collision and subsequent invasive treatment had weakened her condition, making her at an increased risk of suffering a cardiac arrest.

Rachel Hedley, specialist road accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing the family, said after the hearing: “Tasneem was a much-loved wife, mum and grandmother and all her family are still struggling to come to terms with her death which happened in such unexpected circumstances.

“While the inquest and having to listen to the evidence about how Tasneem died has been upsetting for the family, they are now thankful that the coroner has been able to answer the many questions they had regarding her death.

“Tasneem’s death is a tragic reminder of the consequences that families can be left to face following road traffic collisions, even at low speed.

“We join Tasneem’s family in urging road users to take care at all times and will continue to support them as they try to overcome their loss the best they can.”

Tasneem, of Thurnby, Leicester, was a widowed housewife.  She had three children and six grandchildren who she cared for deeply.

She and Naila were making their way to the entrance of Glenfield Hospital at around 1pm on 1 August, 2018, when a black Vauxhall Corsa entered the car park, Leicester Coroner’s Court was told.

Naila stopped for a sip of water but her mum continued walking. The Corsa then reversed into Tasneem, causing her to fall to the ground, hitting her head on the pavement and sustained a severe brain injury. Naila banged on the car windscreen numerous times, however, the driver continued to reverse over Tasneem’s leg, the court heard.

She was taken to Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham due to the severity of her injuries. On 13 August she was transferred at Leicester Royal Infirmary and a week later transferred to the brain injury unit at Leicester General Hospital. Tasneem died the following morning.

The Police investigated this incident and it was concluded that the driver of the Vauxhall Corsa was not to be prosecuted.

Naila said after the hearing: “We were just making our way across the car park when the car entered the car park. The next thing I remember was the car reversing over Mum. I was banging on the windscreen, shouting for the driver to stop.

“I will never forget that day. Seeing Mum under the car like and the blood that was pouring out of her was terrible. It was an extremely distressing time for me and I cannot thank enough those people who came to help Mum following the collision and everything they did for her.

“Losing Mum in the way that we did has been the hardest thing our family has ever had to go through. None of us can still believe that she is no longer with us.

“I would urge motorists to ensure they pay attention to their surroundings at all times. People may not think too much about collisions in car parks but they can be busy places with other vehicles and pedestrians.”

Imran added: “Mum was the most loving and caring person who would do anything for her family. She was so proud of us all and lived for her family.

“Her death has left a huge void in all our lives and we all miss her every day.

“We have had a number of concerns and were disappointed that no prosecution was ever brought in relation to the accident. However, while nothing will ever bring Mum back we at least now have answers to the many questions we had.

“All we can hope for now is that her death was not totally in vain. Our family hopes that what happened to us acts as a reminder to motorists about the importance of checking their mirrors for pedestrians and careful driving, whatever speed they are travelling at.”

Dianne Hocking, assistant coroner recorded a narrative conclusion in which she confirmed Tasneem was “knocked to the floor in a road traffic collision in the car park at Leicester's Glenfield Hospital.”