Inquest into Pc's death begins

WITNESSES today told how an Ipswich police officer fought desperately to control her car in the moments before it collided with a lorry trailer killing her and seriously injuring her colleague.

At the inquest into Cheryl Lloyd's death at Ipswich Crown Court, one witness said it appeared she had lost control of her Ford Mondeo and was trying to avoid an oncoming car when the crash happened.

Pc Lloyd, 42 of Tower Mill Road, Ipswich, died from the impact with the lorry trailer, her side of the car taking the full brunt of the collision in West End Road on June 18 last year.

The crash left her passenger Pc Christopher Neale fighting for life. He is still recovering from his injuries, but was in court today.

The inquest heard Pc Lloyd was responding to an emergency call to support her colleagues when the accident happened and was travelling at what were believed to be speeds of up to 60 mph.

Witness Rhys Stedman, was parked at HR Owen card dealer in West End Road when he hear sirens and tyres screeching.

He said: “We could see she was struggling with the steering wheel. The back end of the car went towards the near kerb and then swung out again.”

Mr Stedman said he momentarily thought Pc Lloyd had regained control of the car, but then it went sideways and his view was obscured by a bush. He then heard a massive bang.

Another witness Ian Giffard told the hearing he was following Pc Lloyd's Mondeo. Mr Giffard said he saw the back end skid away and the rear end of the vehicle turning in towards the pavement, passenger side on.

Following the collision he ran to the passenger side of the car. He said: “He (Pc Neale) was semi conscious and mumbling various words. He was quite badly hurt. He was awake and breathing. I went round to the driver. There was a lot of glass and the back tray of the truck had obviously imbedded itself in the front of the police car.

“The driver's side had taken the impact. I saw the police lady whose head was down against her right shoulder.”

Mr Giffard tried to check Pc Lloyd's pulse but could not find anything and realised she had died.

He said: “Those seconds felt like a couple of hours.”

A third witness John Fisher told the hearing there was a silver Golf coming from the opposite direction and he believed Pc Lloyd was trying to avoid it before the impact with the back of the lorry, which was on her side of the road.

Earlier in the hearing Sgt Steven Knight of Suffolk Polices Traffic Unit had told the court there were no adverse driving conditions and it was a bright clear evening when the tragedy occurred at around 8pm.

He said that his investigations had shown Pc Lloyd had acted in accordance with her drivers' training and that experts had inspected her area car but could find no faults with it.