THE death of a two-year-old boy was the result of a “tragic accident”, a coroner has ruled.

Jake Kenneth Fawcett, from Seascale, died on March 21 this year.

He had been at his grandparents’ home in Gosforth and died after he was struck by a car driven by his grandmother, Judy Norman.

An inquest in Cockermouth heard about the events. Statements from Mrs Norman and Jake’s mother Sarah Fawcett were read to the court.

Jake, along with his twin Phoebe and big sister Annie, spent a lot of time with Mrs Norman on special “grandma days”.

On March 21, a Saturday, the family had been at a party in the morning and had stopped at Gosforth in the afternoon and asked Mrs Norman if she wanted to go to a lake and skim stones.

After arriving, they decided to spend the afternoon in the village and visited the local park.

After they returned, the family began to think about going back to Seascale. Mrs Fawcett’s car, a blue Mazda 5, was parked outside the home and Mrs Norman offered to reverse it up the driveway into a better position for loading up.

She began driving it at a “crawling speed” up the uneven surface, steering slightly to the right.

Mrs Norman said: “I felt a bump in the vehicle as I was reversing and thought I had gone off the kerb and into the gravel.”

Afterwards though she saw Jake on the ground and went to him. “It was clear he had a head injury.”

She picked the boy up and took him to his mother, who had been inside the house.

She tried to resuscitate him as advised by the ambulance service over the phone. Police, paramedics and an air ambulance later arrived and Jake was flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

Doctors there were unable to save his life and he was pronounced dead.

“Jake was a typical two-year-old, full of fun and mischief,” said his mother.

The court heard Jake and his twin had been put in a pushchair when Mrs Norman went to reverse the car. PC Steven Wakefield told the court he had examined the Mazda and investigated the collision.

He said Jake would have approached the vehicle from its side and been knocked down after the car went over the bump, caused by the uneven driveway surface. This sent him under the car, causing his serious head injury.

PC Wakefield added that Jake’s size would have meant he would not have been seen in the car’s mirrors. He described the incident as “a tragic sequence of unfortunate events”.

Deputy coroner Robert Chapman said: “This was an awful, tragic accident and I am so dreadfully sorry for you all.”

He recorded an accidental death verdict.

Following the inquest, Jake's parents said: “The months since Jake’s death have been incredibly difficult for us and our family. We are all absolutely devastated. Jake was a happy little boy with a cheeky grin and infectious laugh who loved playing with his sisters and cousins. 

“We all miss Jake terribly and continue to cherish the precious memories we have of him. He will forever be remembered, so very much loved and missed for the rest of our lives."