Death of woman pinned under car was accident records coronor

Milicent Gilham, of St Mary's Court, Beaconsfield, had been given a lift to London Road, Beaconsfield, by her son Keith Gilham to visit a chemist on London End on June 25 this year, Amersham Coronor's Court heard.
After Mr Gilham parked at around 3.05pm, she got out leaving the passenger door open and walked round the front of the car to wait for a gap in the traffic.
Mr Gilham leant over to pull the door shut, and as he sat up the car moved forward around 2.5 metres knocking her over.
Mr Gilham said he could not remember which gear he had left his automatic Honda in or whether he had applied the handbrake.
He did not believe his foot had touched the accelerator as he had been sitting upright when the car moved and saw his mother go down. He said: "I would like to know how the car moved forward."
During 44 years as a driver he had never had a collision that was deemed his fault, he said.
PC Adrian White, forensic collision investigator, said the car had no mechanical fault that could have caused it to lurch forward and that the car could not have moved forward unless it was left in the drive gear.
He said: "My view is that Mr Gilham has come to a stop and held the vehicle in a drive position with his foot on the foot brake and leaned over to shut the door," he said.
Coronor Richard Hulett said it appeared likely that Mr Gilham had had moved his foot off the foot brake and PC White confirmed that without a brake an automatic car in drive would move forward even if the accelerator was not touched.
Witness Russell Mackinson, who help lift the car, said: "The vehicle shot forwards about six feet, it hit the elderly woman and I saw her fall to the ground... I saw the vehicle's front nearside wheel go over the woman..... the driver was shouting oh my God oh my God get it off her."
He said Mrs Gilham was having difficulty breathing. Mr Gilham tried to lift the car, then left to get help and quickly returned with three or four men.
Mr Mackinson used a jack from his father's car to lift the back of the car while others used another jack to lift up the front, and her breathing improved.
Mrs Gilham was pronounced dead later that day at John Radcliffe Hospital. She died of multiple injuries.
The cause of death was recorded as accidental.