Shahbaz Salim Bhim and Shana Sutaria · Prevention of Future Deaths report

On 25 January 2016 Miss Mairin Casey, Senior Coroner, commenced an investigation into the death of Shahbaz Salim Bhim and Shana Sutaria. The investigation concluded at the end of the inquest on 21 September 2017. The conclusion following the inquest was that Mr. Bhim’s and Miss. Sutaria’s medical cause of death was:

1. a. Multiple traumatic injury.

The summary of the facts was:

At approximately 22.30 on 3 December 2015 the deceased were driver and passenger respectively in a BMW vehicle, registration number ████████ travelling Southbound along the A46 close to the junction with the A660 at Widmerpool. It was raining heavily. By reason of the presence of standing water in the vicinity of the railway bridge which passes over the A46 and a gulley identified as SBA 14 in a diagram dated 3 February 2016, the vehicle in which the deceased was travelling left the carriageway, passed through a gap in the vehicle restraint barrier and came to rest in Fairham Brook.
The drain from gulley number SBA 14 was blocked and unable to cope with the volume of water generated by recent rainfall.
It is likely the deceased survived that collision and climbed from the vehicle to the verge alongside the A46.
Shortly after the deceased’s vehicle left the carriageway, a Citroen van, registration number ████████, driven by ████████ and travelling at approximately 65 m.p.h. came unsighted upon the standing water which caused ████████ to lose control of the van. The van left the carriageway and slid along a section of vehicle restraint barrier passing over Fairham Brook.
In the course of the van’s uncontrollable slide along the barrier the deceased were struck and sustained fatal injuries. They were pronounced dead at the scene.

The conclusion was:

Road Traffic Collision

As above.

c. The scene of the collision is in a natural ‘bowl’ and that, unless effectively drained, it is a point at which standing water will accumulate during and/or after heavy rainfall;
d. The gap in the vehicle restraint barrier (Highways England’s location code X-465224,Y-328926) at the entrance to the land owned and/or occupied by ████████ (and registered at the Land Registry under title number TN514257) is a hazard to traffic in that it permits vehicles to pass unimpeded from the carriageway.