Mother fell off cruiser and was sucked into propeller, inquest hears

Mother-of-three, 38, fell off pleasure cruiser and was sucked into propeller after ‘cursory’ safety video, inquest hears

• Laura Perry was going into a cabin when she lost her balance, falling overboard
• They were allowed to sail away from the boatyard one minute after arriving

A mother-of-three fell off a pleasure cruiser and was ‘sucked’ into the propeller after her family were given only ‘cursory’ advice about how to control it, an inquest heard.

Laura Perry, 38, was heading into the cabin to comfort her crying son when the 42ft vessel hit a wall and she lost her balance and went overboard on the Norfolk Broads.

Her sister, who was in control at one of two helms on the boat, could have prevented her death by pressing the emergency stop button but she didn’t know where it was, a report found.

A report by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch described the handover and a six-minute instructional video – which was not seen by Miss Perry’s sister – as ‘cursory and incomplete’.

It said that it was ‘imperative’ that it should be ‘complete and vigorous’ to ensure users could safely control the boat.

Laura Perry, 38, was heading into the cabin when the 42ft Diamond Emblem 1 cruiser hit a wall and she lost her balance and went overboard on the Norfolk Broads

The family were allowed to sail away from Ferry Marina boatyard in Horning, Norfolk, on their cruiser Diamond Emblem one minute after arriving. Pictured: The Diamond Emblem 1 cruiser

MAIB deputy chief inspector Graham Wilson said: ‘No one on board fully understood the functionality of the dual helm controls and the driver was unaware of the upper engine stop button.’

The tragedy happened on August 19, 2020, as Ms Perry holidayed with her partner, James Allen, their three sons aged 16, 14 and four, her sister, her parents and her 16-year-old niece.

They were allowed to sail away from Ferry Marina boatyard in Horning, Norfolk, on their cruiser Diamond Emblem one minute after arriving.

The group were heading towards Great Yarmouth on the River Bure for ‘shopping and sightseeing’ on the third day of the five-day break with Ms Perry’s oldest son at the helm in the cabin, supervised by his father.

Ms Perry’s sister took control on the upper helm and was turning back after learning there was nowhere to moor when its bow hit another boat, causing minor damage to both vessels.

Mr Wilson told the hearing: ‘Laura walked aft on the upper deck and climbed down the stairs. She started to go through the door to tend to her son, who was crying below.

‘Sadly, at the exact moment, she opened the aft door, that is when the Diamond Emblem 1 hit the wall quite heavily. It bounces off the wall and, at that point, Laura is thrown violently backwards into the water.

‘Laura was sucked into the propeller and become entangled with it.’

A mooring rope that was loosely stored at the aft of the boat also fell into the water and became wrapped around Ms Perry and the propeller.

Her sister, who was in control at one of two helms on the boat, could have prevented her death by pressing the emergency stop button but she didn’t know where it was

Norfolk area coroner Yvonne Blake said: ‘It’s almost like a perfect storm, with the rope falling into the water at the same time.’

The inquest, in Norwich, heard a handle transferring full control to Ms Perry’s sister had not been activated, meaning she could not use reverse to control the boat.

Her partner and sister both leapt into the water but were unable to save her as she ‘died almost instantaneously’.

Her body was eventually recovered by divers. A post-mortem examination found she died of drowning and multiple injuries.

Mr Wilson noted there were no guard rails on the rear deck, which might have prevented Ms Perry from falling into the water – although it complied with all legal standards when built in 2010 and had grab rails for people to hold onto.

‘It is incredibly unfortunate that Laura happened to be where she was with nothing to grab on to,’ he added.

‘She was actually three feet from the back of the boat. Had she taken one step further into the cabin space, it is unlikely she would have fallen overboard.’

International standards for vessels with dual helm controls were updated in 2012 to ensure lights are fitted to show which position has full control of a boat.

But the inquest heard there were no legal requirements for them to be installed retrospectively.

The inquest continues.

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