A boyfriend heard his teenage girlfriend scream down the phone as she plunged to her death from the top of a multi-storey car park.
Murron McDermid, 19, was ‘severely intoxicated’ when she fell from the top of the nine-storey building in Gloucester city centre.
The talented street artist had been on a night out with friends at the nearby Café Rene pub, when she suffered the catastrophic injuries, on August 11 last year.
She was taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, but sadly did not recover and died a day later.
Murron McDermid, 19, was ‘severely intoxicated’ when she fell from the top of the nine-storey building in Gloucester city centre
Miss McDermid had returned from a family holiday on the night of her death told an inquest into her death, a Gloucester inquest heard.
Lewis Tams, who had been in a relationship with the teenager for a month, picked her up from the station and said she drank alcohol continuously while they walked to the pub.
However, he added that this was not uncommon because Miss Murron was known to drink several bottles of wine a night.
At around 11:30pm they left Café Rene to drop some bags off at Mr Tams’ home and returned to the bar at about 12:30pm, he told the hearing.
Shortly after their return, friends observed Miss Murron fall off a bench in the street outside.
She was refused entry back into the pub, and although friends tried to persuade her to sit down she refused and left at around 2:15am.
The talented street artist had been on a night out with friends at the nearby Café Rene pub, when she suffered the catastrophic injuries, on August 11 last year
Mr Tams said the group thought they would catch up with her, but when they went out she was nowhere to be seen.
He then rang his girlfriend but she wouldn’t tell him where she was, the inquest heard.
Miss McDermid told Mr Tams she loved him and after she put the phone down, he heard her scream.
He then went looking for his girlfriend while ringing her phone.
After walking up a pizza restaurant’s alleyway he heard the sound of her ringtone grow louder and found her lying on the ground.
Emergency services were called and Miss McDermid was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after.
Her friend, Annie Chaplain told the hearing that they would often talk about death, including falling from height, but Miss McDermid had said it ‘wasn’t an option for her.’
They had also visited the tops of car parks to take photos.
Senior Coroner Katy Skerrett said that although Miss Murron had suffered from previous mental health problems she had been engaging with friends well that day.
She was showing ‘forward thinking’ in her diary and there was no evidence of low mood that evening.
Therefore the barrier of proof for suicide had not been reached and this was an alcohol related accident.
‘She was an experienced drinker but still had high levels of alcohol in her blood and that would have severely impaired her,’ the coroner said.
‘She goes to the top floor of the car park, phones her partner, not with suicidal ideation but making loving statements. Alcohol was a huge factor and you can envisage how when heavily intoxicated a tragic accident would follow.’
Mrs Skerrett recorded a conclusion of alcohol related accidental death.