Iquest concludes into the death of Lily Brooke-Davis

Assistant Bradford coroner Oliver Longstaff was speaking at the conclusion of the inquest into the death of Lily Brooke-Davis yesterday.

The six-year-old died after she was hit by a Land Rover, driven by Joanne Rothery, on Beacon Road, Buttershaw, during morning rush-hour on June 12, 2014.

Mr Longstaff said: “I will write to the relevant highways authority to invite comment on the suitability or otherwise of fixed speed cameras on Beacon Road. Or the provision of extra pedestrian crossings, or temporary 20mph speed limits perhaps around school times.”

The inquest had previously heard from Miss Rothery, who said she had not seen the child as she “came out of nowhere”. She had been driving at 35mph in the 30mph zone at the time of the collision.

In his conclusions, Mr Longstaff said Miss Rothery was driving “faster than the law allows”, which “reduced the time available to her to identify potential hazards and how to best respond to them”.

He also said that Lily “was there to be seen” by Miss Rothery, who admitted seeing Lily’s mum and two-year-old brother, who were with her at the time.

Mr Longstaff pointed out that Lily would have been closer to Miss Rothery than her mum or brother as the car approached.

He added: “An opportunity was missed for Miss Rothery to react to the situation that confronted her.

“That would have been available to her had she been driving at 30mph or less.”

Mr Longstaff also said that Lily was not holding her mum’s hand prior to the collision.

He recorded a death due to road traffic collision verdict.

Addressing Lily’s family he said: “One thing I am absolutely certain of is that the one person who suffered the least in all this was Lily.

“I hope, in the scheme of things, the fact that she felt no pain will mean something to you.”

In August, Mrs Rothery was found not guilty by a jury at Bradford Crown Court, on the direction of Judge Colin Burn, of causing Lily’s death by careless driving.