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.