Inquest opens into death of woman at Brighton speed trials

An inquest has opened into the death of motorcycle sidecar passenger Charlotte Tagg at the Brighton Speed Trials.

Miss Tagg, 38, from Beck Row, near Mildenhall, in Suffolk, died after a crash at the speed trials on Saturday 8 September last year.

A jury of 11 people was sworn in at Brighton Coroner’s Court in Edward Street, Brighton, this morning (Monday 16 September).

They were told that Miss Tagg, a mother of three, was riding sidecar when the crash happened just before 6pm in Madeira Drive on Brighton seafront.

She was taken to the nearby Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where doctors tried to save her but she was pronounced dead shortly after 8pm.

The inquest was opened on Monday 17 September last year and adjourned, allowing Miss Tagg’s body to be released so that her funeral could take place.

Charlotte Tagg

A pre-inquest review took place earlier this year on Thursday 9 May to identify the key people who should attend this week’s inquest and the main issues at stake.

The coroner Veronica Hamilton-Deeley said: “The death of Charlotte raises issues about an event which takes place in Brighton every year.”

She said that a number of people were present for the inquest because it would deal with matters of public interest.

She also described the events surrounding Miss Tagg’s death as “a perfect storm” when things happened unexpectedly which could not have been reasonably predicted.

Coroner’s officer Tony Beldam shared photographs of the aftermath of the crash with the jury and said: “The motorbike hit a concrete pillar and Charlotte was ejected from the sidecar.”

Sergeant Huw Watts, the senior investigating officer from Sussex Police, said: “The event had occurred for a number of years without incident.”

He said that it had not caused any concerns for the Safety Advisory Group, a standing committee of officials from Brighton and Hove City Council and the emergency services.

And he added: “There is an element of risk. With most things you hope that nothing happens. The event has been going for over a hundred years.”

The coroner said: “And the safety record is extraordinarily good.”

Sergeant Watts agreed. He said that his investigation had been hampered because the scene had not been preserved after the crash.

When he arrived, he said, “the Sprint sidecar had been moved from its original resting place and was already on the back of the recovery truck and the scene had been swept clean.”

The coroner said that a paramedic and the organisers had wanted to be able to treat Miss Tagg and try to save her life. It was clear that Miss Tagg and the motorcyclist, 64-year-old Roger Hollingshead, had suffered serious injuries.

She said: “That was a greater priority than preserving evidence at the scene.”

Brighton and Hove Motor Club, which organises the annual speed trials, cancelled the event this year to await the outcome of the inquest. It had been due to take place on Saturday (14 September).

In May the club said: “Representatives from the Brighton and Hove Motor Club and Brighton and Hove City Council agreed that it would be unwise to host the speed trials until the circumstances that led up to the incident are fully understood and the coroner has reported her findings.”

The inquest continues. It is scheduled to last until Friday (20 September).