Heartbroken granddaughter, 27, who was unable to attend her grandmother’s funeral due to social distancing was found dead near bridge on M4 after she was hit by a car, inquest hears
- Abigail Hussey, of Penllergaer, Swansea, was found dead at 4.30am on May 12
- She had lost her 93-year-old grandmother to coronavirus just two weeks earlier
- Abigail was unable to travel 200 miles from Penllergaer, South Wales to her grandmother’s funeral in south-east England due to lockdown rules
- Coroner was told police are not investigating her death as a road traffic collision
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
A heartbroken woman left unable to attend her grandmother’s funeral because of lockdown rules was found dead on a motorway after being hit by a car, an inquest heard today.
Abigail Hussey, 27, of Penllergaer, Swansea, in South Wales, was found on the M4 just two weeks after losing her 93-year-old grandmother to coronavirus.
An inquest heard that the animal lover’s body was discovered close to a bridge on the carriageway at 4.30am on May 12.
The hearing was told she was lying on her back at the scene, near Swansea – and had been hit by a vehicle.
Abigail was heartbroken by her grandmother’s death and at being unable to attend her funeral in south-east England, her family said.
Abigail Hussey (pictured), who was left unable to attend her grandmother’s funeral because of lockdown rules, was found dead on a motorway after being hit by a car, an inquest heard today. The body of the 27-year-old, of Penllergaer, Swansea, in South Wales, was found on the M4 just two weeks after losing her 93-year-old grandmother to coronavirus
Her family told how she was heartbroken by her grandmother’s death and at being unable to attend her funeral in south-east England. (Abigail is pictured with her parents)
Coroner Colin Phillips was told police are not investigating her death as a road traffic collision.
Mr Phillips said police were still investigating Abigail’s death and adjourned a full inquest until November.
Her father Alan believes that Abigail took her own life.
He said: ‘I’ll never know what was in her head at that time but I think her nan’s death just two weeks ago from the virus contributed to it.
‘She was extremely upset and sad when nan died so suddenly. Abby was desperate to go and say goodbye to her at the service, but she was worried about breaking the lockdown travel ban.
‘She was talking to her mother and brother at one point about the three of them driving down the night before and sleeping in the car. It would have been about 200 miles each way.
‘She just wanted to pay her final respects to her nan and was sad that the laws didn’t allow it.
Coroner Colin Phillips was told police are not investigating her death as a road traffic collision. Abigail’s father Alan believes that she took her own life, and said: ‘I’ll never know what was in her head at that time but I think her nan’s death just two weeks ago from the virus contributed to it’
‘Abby was such a lovely person. You won’t meet anyone anywhere who would have a bad word to say about her.’
Mr Hussey said that Abby was planning to be an animal behaviour psychologist.
He said: ‘I guess we’ll never know exactly what happened or why, but I don’t have any reason to think that anyone else was involved in her death.
‘It’s so weird because the last time we spoke, at dinner time the evening before, the only thing that seemed to be on her mind was worrying which colour bags we used to recycle our waste for the collection the following morning.’
A police spokesman asked drivers to check dashcam footage.
He said: ‘South Wales Police is appealing for any witnesses who may have travelled along the A48 Swansea Road, Penllergaer in the vicinity of the motorway overbridge where the female is known to have been, who may have seen her at the location.
‘Motorists who were travelling along the motorway and may have seen this female on the overbridge, or a gold coloured Citroen C4 at this time, and may have dashcam footage are also asked to contact South Wales Police on 101 quoting reference 2000163094.
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