The formal commencement of an inquest into the death of a young woman who died in a ‘near head-on collision’ near Bridgnorth earlier this year has revealed her identity.
Gemma Margaret Hawksey, aged 26, was travelling in a car with her fiancée at the time of the crash on the A442, near the junction for Echoes Hill, on August 21.
Born in Macclesfield, Miss Hawksey was a student whose usual address was in Bath.
Shropshire’s Senior Coroner John Ellery was told on Thursday that emergency service crews had been called to a “near head-on collision” involving two cars.
Emergency responders discovered a “unresponsive female” at the scene, and at 4:20 p.m., in spite of their best attempts, she was pronounced dead.
Sitting at the Coroner’s Court in Shrewsbury on Thursday, Mr Ellery was told that the woman was identified by Police Sergeant Saxton by using her driving licence and university identification card. Her identity was confirmed by her fiancée who was a passenger in the vehicle at the time, the coroner was told.
The inquest was formally opened and adjourned to be held in full on January 14, 2025.
At the time the Shropshire Star reported that the crash took place on the A442 near Bridgnorth at around 3.51pm.
Two ambulances, an air ambulance, and two paramedic officers were sent by the West Midlands Ambulance Service to assist at the incident.
According to an ambulance spokesman, despite the best efforts of the crews, one woman had passed away. Another woman from the same car had been taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham after receiving treatment for potentially serious injuries, and a second man from the same car had been taken to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital with injuries that were not thought to be serious.
“Upon arrival, crews discovered two cars had been involved in an accident and there were three patients,” the spokesperson stated.
The woman who was the first patient was discovered to be very ill.
She was sadly confirmed dead at the spot after all attempts to save her failed.
“A woman from the same automobile received treatment for potentially critical injuries and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham for additional care via land ambulance, which was accompanied by an air ambulance doctor.
When rescue workers got there, the man who was driving the second automobile had already exited it.
“He was transported by land ambulance to Royal Shrewsbury University Hospital after receiving medical attention for injuries that were deemed to be minor.”
