Death of pensioner blown over by helicopter was accident, inquest jury finds

The death of a retired civil servant who suffered fatal head injuries when she was blown over by a search and rescue helicopter landing at a hospital was an accident, a jury has found.

Jean Langan, 87, had attended Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, Devon, to have a hearing aid fitted and was walking with her niece back to their car in the hospital car park on March 4 2022.

Exeter Coroner’s Court heard how Mrs Langan and her niece Gael were blown over by the helicopter’s downwash, leading to the grandmother suffering fatal head injuries.

Mother-of-one Mrs Langan, who was born in Liverpool and lived in Plymouth, was attended to by paramedics and doctors at the hospital but died around three hours later.

A jury concluded that her death was an accident after hearing evidence at the inquest this week.

They said: “On March 4 2022, Jean Langan attended Derriford Hospital with her niece for a hearing appointment.

“As they were returning to their car which was parked in an unrestricted public car park a landing helicopter’s downwash caused Jean to fall backwards and strike her head upon the ground.

“She suffered a serious head injury which caused her to lose consciousness. Jean was taken into hospital for treatment but sadly died shortly after.

“At the time of her fall, Jean was not restricted from the area.”

You were attending a normal hospital appointment and for the incident to develop as it did, it is something that shouldn't have happened

The inquest heard the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) had investigated and published a report into the incident.

Senior coroner Ian Arrow told jurors they would not be investigating matters that AAIB had already examined, meaning there would be no evidence from witnesses from when Mrs Langan was injured.

The AAIB report, published in November last year, identified a series of failings which exposed members of the public to risk.

It found members of the public were not prevented from being close to the hospital’s helipad when helicopters were landing.

In a part of the inquest relating to the prevention of future deaths, Mr Arrow was told the car park has now been permanently closed to members of the public.

Mr Arrow asked for a letter from helicopter operator Bristow to identify outstanding matters to be resolved, including a database of helipads across the country, to be sent to him.

After this is received Mr Arrow will write to the Department of Transport, he said.

At the conclusion of the inquest, he told Mrs Langan’s family: “You were attending a normal hospital appointment and for the incident to develop as it did, it is something that shouldn’t have happened.

“I shall be writing to the Department of Transport in due course.”

He added: “Thank you, members of the family for your dignity and the interest you have taken in trying to prevent this happening to other people.”

The inquest heard a statement from Mrs Langan’s family who said she “doted” on her grandchildren and was “always on the go”, describing her as an expert knitter who walked their dog every day.

Images of CCTV footage taken from the hospital car park on the day of the incident were released to the media following the conclusion of the inquest.

They show people walking next to the wall of the helipad, then falling to the ground as the search and rescue helicopter comes into land.

The footage also shows paramedics waiting by ambulances in the car park, as well as members of the public, rushing to Mrs Langan’s aid after her fall.

Home Office pathologist Dr Amanda Jeffery told the inquest that Mrs Langan sustained “significant” head injuries and died around three and a half hours after the incident.

Mrs Langan’s medical cause of death was recorded as a head injury by the inquest jury.

Jean had every right to expect to be able to walk safely on a public footpath within the hospital grounds. The loss and distress that the family suffers is immeasurable

Following the hearing, her family released a statement through Devon County Council.

They said: “Jean’s death was a devastating, tragic event which should never have happened.

“Jean had every right to expect to be able to walk safely on a public footpath within the hospital grounds. The loss and distress that the family suffers is immeasurable.

“Jean was the matriarch of the family and is still very much loved and missed every day.”

They said they were “disappointed” that witness statements about what happened to Mrs Langan could not be read during the inquest.

“Through the investigation process we have been made aware that there were multiple failings across a range of agencies which led to this fatal incident,” they added.

“The family trust that these proceedings, along with the actions which have been proposed and those that are being taken by all agencies involved, will, as a result, mean that this terrible situation can never happen again to anybody else.”