Gran died after her skull was crushed when she fell overboard during dream cruise aboard luxury Queen Elizabeth liner
Inquest hears retired teacher Mary Atherton suffered devastating injuries while disembarking a tender during trip
A GRANDMOTHER died after her skull was crushed when she fell overboard while on a dream cruise aboard the Queen Elizabeth liner.
Mary Atherton, 75, suffered devastating injuries while disembarking a tender – a small craft used to transport passengers between land and the cruise ship.
Attempting to step onto a pontoon she plunged into the water and was crushed by the boat.
At an inquest at Preston Coroner's Court Pathologist Dr Helen Stringfellow said the retired teacher suffered an "extensive fracture of the skull" and she would have died immediately.
She also said she couldn't tell if Mary, from Preston, Lancs, had suffered any heart-relating ill health that contributed to her falling.
CCTV footage of the mooring shows the tender moving up and down with the swell against the platoon.
Andrew Allen, who had been on the same Cambodia trip as Mrs Atherton, said the situation had been "precarious" and there were no safety warning before the disembarkment started.
He said: "I was expecting not much gap, but there was a considerable gap and we were moving backwards and forwards.
"It looked very precarious.
"Mrs Atherton moved her right foot forward, the boat had moved in by then, but then the boat started to move out again and she seemed to fall away to the left.
"I shouted, jumped up, knowing what could happen and was keen to assist.
"When I got up to the top of the steps, Mrs Atherton was in the water and there was quite a lot of blood.”
Andrew, who owns a 35ft yacht, told the inquest that only after Mary's death did he learn the crew's normal practice was to use the thrust of the engine to "snug" the boat against the morning, but he claimed he hadn't heard the sound of the engine at the time.
In an email to tragic Mary’s son Michael, Andrew described the incident as "a tragic and avoidable accident".
Mary had booked the cruise 12 months previously with her friend of 55 years, Una McDermott, also a retired teacher.
She had been on the cruise ship on a previous holiday and informed Cunard by telephone of her mobility problems when she booked.
The court heard she suffered from osteoarthritis, Meniere's disease which affects balance, had a pacemaker and had a toe amputated in October 2014 due to arthritis.
She walked with a stick and had struggled with steps and boarding vehicles due to having a short stride.
She had booked the half-day Cambodia trip a week before, but only found out a tender would be used to take passengers to shore the night before the tragedy.
Una said: "Mrs Atherton told me she didn't like going by tender, but she really wanted to go on shore in Cambodia.
"She dealt with her disabilities very sensibly, very wisely. She didn't put herself into a situation she couldn't deal with, without help."
Son Michael said: "She wouldn't let it get her down at all. She took nine tablets daily and it was a bind, but she wouldn't be defeated."
He said her home had been adapted to include a stairlift and steps had been added to the front and back door but there had been no marked change in her ability in the months before her death.
He added that she had not suffered an attack of her Menieres disease for at least five years and controlled it through medication and avoiding certain foods.
He said: "She was a sensible woman and made clear her limitations."
The inquest continues.