A coroner this month (March 6) ruled that retired pharmacist Margaret Billings died in an accident after being “caught between [a] canal boat and the bank”.
Evidence heard at the inquest revealed that on June 27 2024, Billings “was travelling with family and friends on a canal boat heading towards Bradford on Avon”.
She “had been on some 20 similar journeys in the past and was regarded as experienced”, it said.
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“As the boat approached Maton Lock [in] Wiltshire, Billings was stood on the boat some three feet away from the stern, holding on with one hand,” it added.
Then, “in circumstances that remain unclear, [she] left the boat and was in the water,” it said.
“Extensive injuries”
Inquest evidence found that Billings was caught “between the boat that was under power and the bank, with the distance between the two rapidly diminishing”.
This “caused extensive injuries to her chest and head”, it said.
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“[She] was pulled from the water and despite the efforts of the paramedics, was pronounced deceased at the scene,” it added.
The coroner recorded a conclusion of accident, a spokesperson this week (March 11) told C+D.
Coroner concerns
It comes after a coroner last week warned that a drug interaction does “not trigger an alert on the prescribing software used in primary care or by pharmacists”.
He raised the concerns after a patient who had been on a dangerous trio of drugs for years “without concern” suffered sudden cardiac death.
Read more: Coroner: Patient dead after ‘tick-box’ online pharmacy prescription
And last month, a GP warned that pharmacies “need” to review patient records before prescribing during the inquest of a patient who died after obtaining drugs through an online pharmacy.
“The process required to do this was described as a ‘tick-box’ exercise in court,” the coroner said.
