Specialist Lawyers At Irwin Mitchell Represent The Family

The devastated parents of a young mother who tragically died whilst in the Maldives on her honeymoon have spoken out following the inquest into her death.

Emma and Jonathan Gray, from Halifax, in West Yorkshire, jetted off for a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the Kuredu Island Resort in the Maldives to celebrate their honeymoon in August 2011.

They were allegedly invited by Filipe Petre, an employee at the resort where the couple were staying, to a private party on the island. It was alleged that Petre offered to drive the newlyweds back to their villa on a quad bike in the early hours of the morning.

The quad bike crashed at the Kuredu Island Resort and both Emma and her husband, both 25-years-old, suffered traumatic head injuries and sadly passed away at the scene of the incident.

The couple had a six-month old son, Jake, at the time of the accident. He is now four-years-old and lives with his paternal uncle and wife.

An inquest into their deaths was held today (29th October) at Halifax Town Hall with HM Coroner Mr Oliver Longstaff who concluded theirs death were caused as a result of road traffic collision and commenting saying that their deaths were a tragedy and the loss of Emma and Jay would leave a huge gaping hole in their family’s lives.

Emma’s parents, Rodney and Susan Oldfield, instructed specialist international personal injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to investigate the circumstances of Emma’s death.

Although no admission was made by any party pursued, the law firm was able to secure an undisclosed settlement from Kuredu Holdings PVT Limited, the owner of the resort where the incident occurred, which will provide for Jake as he grows up.

Expert Opinion

“Emma’s family has been through an unimaginable ordeal losing their loved one so suddenly and in such tragic circumstances. This was a horrific incident which took the lives of a young couple who were celebrating the happiest time in their lives on their honeymoon.

“We would like to thank the Coroner for carrying out a thorough investigation into the incident and we hope that the inquest has gone some way to help Emma’s family gain further answers as to what happened in the Maldives and enable them to move forward from this tragic event.”
Cheryl Palmer-Hughes - Partner and Head of our International Serious Injury Desk

Emma’s father, Rodney, who is retired, said: “The past few years have been completely heart-breaking for our families and we are still struggling to come to terms with losing Emma.

“She was really looking forward to her honeymoon in the Maldives to celebrate the start of her married life and her life was so cruelly cut short because of what happened.

“We would like to thank the coroner, West Yorkshire Police and our legal team at Irwin Mitchell for investigating the circumstances leading up to Emma’s death in 2011 and for their help and support. We are focusing all our care and attention on Jake and giving him everything he needs.”

If you have had an accident on holiday, our personal injury lawyers could help you claim compensation. Visit our Accident Abroad Claims page for more information.