WOMAN DIES AFTER LORRY STRIKES CAR ON A30 NEAR WHIDDON DOWN

Clare Laskey, 47, from The Lizard in Cornwall, died after a lorry struck a silver Kia on the A30 near Whiddon Down on 15 October 2024, an inquest at Exeter Coroners Court heard on 27 July 2026. Ms Laskey was attempting to exit the vehicle following a crash when the lorry collided with it at approximately 10pm. She suffered fatal chest and lower limb injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after 11pm. The inquest heard there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.

Ms Laskey had been travelling to Bristol airport with her partner of 14 years when the silver Kia hit standing water on the dual carriageway, aquaplaned and rolled onto its roof. Her partner asked her to leave the vehicle and climbed out himself; as Ms Laskey began to emerge, the lorry struck the car. The lorry driver stated in a letter read at the inquest that he had been travelling along the A30 when he noticed a man waving his arms in the nearside lane. He said the car had no lights and he did not see it prior to impact, adding he was "devastated by what happened". Weather conditions at the time were wet, windy and rainy.

Alison Longhorn, Area Coroner, described the incident as "a truly tragic accident" and recognised the efforts of emergency service personnel who responded to the scene. Ms Laskey's family released a tribute stating she would be "sadly missed by us all including her friends and the amazing Lizard community". Numerous tributes were shared online following her death, with those who knew her describing her as "much loved" and "always remembered".