Norfolk: Mother Lyndsay Turner kills own son learning to drive for first time

A mother accidentally killed her three-year-old son when she struck him with a car while learning to drive, an inquest has heard. Lyndsay Turner, 34, was getting behind the wheel for the first time when she hit her son Liam as he played near their home in Watton, Norfolk, last June.

Turner was said to be driving the Citroen C4 into a parking area when she hit her child. The boy's father, Stephen Turner, 37, pulled the child from underneath the vehicle and attempted to rush him to hospital before stopping to flag down an ambulance.

Mrs Turner told police how she had asked her husband to supervise her while she attempted to drive the car for the first time. She said the vehicle "jolted suddenly forward" after her foot slipped on the pedal.

A neighbour who witnessed the accident described Mrs Turner "stuttering" into the parking space before her husband yelled "stop", followed by a loud crunching noise. Amy Jones told the inquest: "Liam was bleeding really badly and I told Stephen to put him in the car and take him to hospital."

Police told the inquest Mrs Turner was not insured to drive the vehicle but it was not in the public interest to press forward with any charges. The deputy coroner Nicholas Holroyd recorded a conclusion of accidental death at Norwich coroner's court. He told the parents: "This was an appalling tragedy and you both have my profound sympathy for this loss. There are very few parents who when looking back haven't said to themselves 'that was a near thing', tragically this ended as disastrously as it did."

In a statement issued after Liam's death, the Turners said: We are devastated by the loss of our darling little man. Liam was a happy, content little boy who was always smiling and laughing. He had a wonderful sense of humour and brought joy to the lives of everyone who knew him. He was deeply loved. Life will not be the same without him."