Mum, 52, killed in front of husband after 'high speed' jet ski hits her boat
A 52-year-old mum tragically died while on holiday when a jet ski rider smashed into the side of her boat, an inquest heard.
Jane Walker, 52, was on a trip with her husband and son when the jet ski hit their inflatable boat, called the Rib Tickler.
The boat was owned by Mrs Walker's son but was being steered by a family friend when they went out on the water off Anglesey in North Wales.
The woman's husband witnessed the tragic incident and watched in horror as the boat was hit.
An inquest heard Mrs Walker, a pharmacy technician, suffered a significant head injury as well as spinal cord damage and chest injuries.
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The Rib Tickler which Jane Walker was on at the time of the fatal collision (Daily Post Wales)Widower Mr Walker said a paramedic had given his wife morphine as pain relief before she died in August 2020.
He said his wife had a collapsed lung and the drug could suppress the respiratory system, adding: "I'm convinced that's when she died."
The inquest heard Mr Walker complained to the ambulance service and the ombudsman but claimed that "nobody would listen".
Pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers said the jet ski hit Mrs Walker, of Cheadle, Staffordshire, in the crash.
He said it was "highly likely" that Mrs Walker was going to die from her injuries "regardless of morphine", but added that he could not ignore the potential effect of giving the pain-killer.
Senior coroner Katie Sutherland adjourned the inquest in Caernarfon over concerns about the "possibility" that treatment by the ambulance service may have played a part in the death.
She said: "The reasonableness of what was undertaken in terms of her care and treatment needs exploration."
It comes after a Marine Accident Investigation Board found the person controlling the boat and the jet ski rider were carrying out "uncoordinated, high-speed manoeuvres."
It said the two crafts "were operating too closely to each other at high speed and neither Rib Tickler's skipper nor the personal watercraft rider understood the other's intentions".
It added: "Furthermore, the knowledge and skill levels of the persons in control or overseeing the two craft were not appropriate to the manoeuvres being undertaken."
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The report revealed the jet ski rider was the niece of the boat helmsman - and she was just 17 years old at the time of the smash.
She had only driven a personal watercraft "eight or nine times prior to the accident" and also held no qualifications for it.
Investigators said neither the rib boat nor jet ski "were being driven safely on the evening of the accident".
The MAIB report also found the boat operator had no powerboat qualifications and had not driven a rib for more than 25 years.
The crash happened when the boat "turned sharply to starboard and into the path" of the jet ski at between 25 and 30 knots - or 29 to 35mph.
The Royal Yachting Association accepted recommendations to change its handbooks giving guidance on water bikes and power boats.
Speaking after her death, Mr Walker said: "She loved coming here. What happened was a tragic accident. I know what happened - I was sitting next to her."
The inquest was adjourned for a date to be fixed.
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