One last drink for Claire Austin: Friends make a special tribute to marketing executive who ‘ran through a glass door’ and died in Randwick

EXCLUSIVE

Friends brought flowers, embraced, wept and cracked open drinks for one last toast to Claire Austin the day after the marketing executive died from running ‘through a glass door’ in her Sydney apartment.

Six of Claire’s former colleagues from The Do Collective arrived at the apartment block on Wednesday with bouquets of flowers, an image of a Sydney beach and a unique tribute.

It was a sombre walk down the hill on Claire’s street to the building on Randwick St in the eastern suburb of Randwick, where the 38-year-old had been living with her boyfriend Lee Loughlin.

Neighbours had reported hearing the pair arguing, and Ms Austin partially severed her arm by running through an internal glass door just after 7.30am on Saturday.

She was taken to hospital and put on life support long enough for her parents to arrive from the UK and say goodbye before she died on Tuesday.

She had worked at The Do Collective, a marketing company, until just last month, when she had moved on to a new media company as an events producer. 

Her colleagues placed the flowers and mementoes at what has become a growing  shrine to Claire at the side of the flats where she was fatally injured.

They stood in a semi-circle and opened cans of Pepsi to toast the memory of Claire – who they said was ‘Pepsi mad’.

Workmates who gathered to toast Claire (above) for one last time said she was ‘a lovely person’ loved life and had enjoyed a large group of friends

The friends brought flowers, embraced, wept and drank Pepsi in honour of the work colleague who had only left The Do Collective last month for a new job 

They told Daily Mail Australia that Claire was ‘a lovely person’ who embraced life and had a large group of friends.

One of the cards left for Claire read, ‘To the sweetest soul, it was an honour to have known you. Your presence is truly missed. 

‘Thank you for all your love and support – words can’t describe how painful  this is. Rest in peace Claire.’ 

Claire Austin had seemed to embrace Sydney life since moving here from the UK ten years ago.

Images on social media show how much the petite Claire had enjoyed her decade in Sydney since moving from the UK, with pictures of concerts, parties with friends and trips to the beach, bushwalking and even running in Sydney’s City to Surf.

She was in a relationship with Mr Loughlin, a recruitment analyst who is also from the UK and runs his own company, Lead Group in Darling Harbour.

The couple moved into their rented two bedroom Randwick flat last May, and neighbours  said they heard them ‘fighting constantly’, but that the fight last Saturday morning ‘sounded way worse’.

One neighbour said he heard fighting begin about 7am on Saturday, with Ms Austin shouting first, and this altercation was ‘at a different level than usual’.

‘They both sounded (like) something would happen,’ he told Daily Mail Australia.

Workmates from the creative agency Claire Austin had only left in March placed flowers, cards and tributes and embraced in their grief at the growing shrine outside the apartment block where she partially severed her arm running through a glass door and then died in hospital

Black fingerprint dust on the outer window of Claire Austin’s Randwick apartment where she partially severed an arm running through a glass door and died three days later in hospital

‘I heard the woman at first and it worried me. Then I heard the man. I think I heard a crash and then I didn’t hear the woman again.’

The neighbour then heard a man screaming ‘somebody help me’ over and over.

The sound of the fight prompted the neighbour to go out on the street to investigate because he was so alarmed.

Someone had called Triple Zero and soon after the ambulance and police arrived.

Paramedics rushed Ms Austin to St Vincent’s Hospital where she was on life support for three days before she died. 

Mr Loughlin reportedly told police the pair were having an argument, then she ran through the glass door. 

Mr Loughlin assisted police with their inquiries and was admitted to a mental health facility.

‘He has since been released without charge and no arrests have been made at this time,’ a NSW Police spokesman said, with the police investigations continuing. 

Emergency crews rushed to the block of flats in Randwick following a Triple Zero call and Claire was taken to St Vincents Hospital and placed on life support, but she died on Tuesday 

Boyfriend Lee Loughlin, 44,  told police the pair had an argument before the incident and he was ‘released without charge and no arrests have been made at this time’ police said

Claire Austin, 38, was found inside her top-floor apartment bleeding from a partially severed arm and was later placed on life support but died in hospital on Tuesday

The two-bedroom apartment, which features a sunroom with sliding glass doors, was rented by Claire Austin and her recruitment company executive boyfriend Lee Loughlin

On Wednesday, the first bouquet left at the front of the apartment complex had an attached card with a touching message to Ms Austin.

‘I am so sorry that this happened to you, especially on the shores of a foreign country,’ it read.

Ms Austin’s family flew from the UK to Sydney immediately after being told she would not survive her injuries, and arrived on Tuesday morning just hours before she passed away. 

NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Peter Thurtell said Ms Austin’s death was being treated as a criminal matter. 

‘This is a tragic loss of life and we are determined to work out exactly what happened,’ Deputy Commissioner Thurtell told the Daily Telegraph. 

Police launched Strike Force Lyndoch to investigate the exact circumstances surrounding Ms Austin’s death.

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