Husband tells of horror as he watched mother-of-four, 36, be run over and killed by her own car when she left the handbrake off

Kerrie Hewitt, 36, (pictured) was dragged under the wheels of her Renault Megane after she opened the double gates outside her cottage in Storridge, Worcestershire

A grieving husband has told an inquest of his horror as he saw his wife die when she was run over by her own car after forgetting to put the handbrake on. 

Kerrie Hewitt, 36, was dragged under the wheels of her Renault Megane after she opened the double gates outside her cottage in Storridge, Worcestershire, when she returned from work. 

The freak accident was captured on the family's security cameras and witnessed by her husband Darren, 43, who was in the kitchen at the time, an inquest at Herefordshire Coroners Court heard.

He rushed outside and with a neighbour desperately tried to lift the car off his wife, while another resident called the emergency services.

Emergency crews dashed to the family home and attempted to lift the car off Mrs Hewitt using a trolley jack, but despite their efforts, the support worker died at the scene on January 10 this year. 

A post-mortem examination found she died from positional asphyxia.

Mr Hewitt, who works as a bricklayer, told the inquest: 'I tried to pull her from under the car. She didn't move and inch. She was wedged.'

When he was asked by the coroner why he did not use a jack immediately, he replied: 'As soon as I phoned the ambulance that's what I said to them on the phone, "Should I go and get a jack?"

'They told me not to in case I hurt her any more.'

The couple had been married for 14 years and lived at their cottage with their children, Mia, 10, and Connor, eight, Mrs Hewitt's son Brad, 14, and her husband's 17-year-old daughter Lucy.

PC Graham Powell, of West Mercia Police, who attended the scene said the slope was only about 1.2 degrees where it began but the car increased in speed as the offside wheel passed over a section of tarmac.

Referring to the CCTV which captured the tragedy, he said: 'It appears as though the vehicle is pushing her towards the gate which is forcing it open.

The freak accident at Mrs Hewitt's home (pictured) was captured on the family's security cameras and witnessed by her husband Darren, 43, who was in the kitchen at the time

Mrs Hewitt (left) and her husband Darren (right) had been married for 14 years. They lived at their cottage with their children, Mia, 10, (second left) and Connor, eight, (centre) Mrs Hewitt's son Brad, 14, (second from right) and her husband's 17-year-old daughter Lucy (not pictured)

'The front wheel has now dropped onto the driveway.

'She is still holding the rail of the gate. She may be trying to hold the gate and hold the car back at the same time.

'Unfortunately the car is too heavy and the momentum is too great.

A coroner ruled that Mrs Hewitt's death in January this year was accidental

'It appears the car will go past. She stumbles and falls across the front of the car and the car rolls over the top of her.'

Detective Sergeant Mark Jinks said Mrs Hewitt was trapped by the front axle with her head towards the front nearside and her feet towards the front offside.

He said: 'It seems Mrs Hewitt left the handbrake in the off position when she arrived to open the gates.

'It appears from the CCTV the car is propelled forward under the influence of gravity.'

He said there was no suggestion of third party involvement or deliberate self-harm and there were no faults identified on the car.

Herefordshire Coroner Mark Bicknell recorded a conclusion of accidental death. 

Speaking at the time of his wife's death, Mr Hewitt had said: 'I watched her die out there. I was in the kitchen having a cup of tea. I watched her pull up and open the double gate to let her car in.

'As she did that she fell over and the car just rolled back and went over her.

'I had to go to the neighbours to get a wedge. The ambulance took ages.

'I said to the ambulance people should I wait on the road, but they said stay with her.

'She wasn't breathing anyway. The ambulance went straight past.

'The kids were in the house and they heard her scream.

'I was trying to keep the kids in the house at the same time.'