A FORMER mayor who died after being run over by her own car had forgotten to put the handbrake on, an inquest heard.

Beryl Healy, 79, had parked her Renault Modus on her steep drive in Pococks Road in the town but as she got out and went to the back of the car to unload her shopping, it started to creep down her drive.

Widow Mrs Healy, was the town's former mayor as well as Eastbourne Borough Council leader.

Eyewitness Anthony Fox, a taxi driver of Santa Cruz Drive, Sovereign Harbour, had just dropped off a passenger at the hospital and had parked up.

He told the inquest at Eastbourne Law Courts, "I heard a scream and I looked up. The car was coming backwards on the driveway, and she was behind the car. She then started to go under the car, the back wheels went over her.

"She was under the car. I ran over there and tried to lift the vehicle off her but that was not possible. I shouted to some builders working nearby and they came rushing over. We then lifted the car onto pallets."

He told the inquest that Mrs Healy was still talking at this stage.

"She said ‘help me.’ It was an unfortunate accident."

Another eyewitness David Twine, a roof tiler, was working on a property two doors away when he heard Mr Fox shout over to him.

He said the handbrake was not on and that he actually pulled it up when he arrived at the scene at around 11.50am on June 4 this year.

Mrs Healy was taken by helicopter to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton but died shortly after 2pm.

Dr Paul Ransom from the A and E department said she had suffered multiple injuries and internal bleeding.

Investigating officer PC Iain Lumbard told the coroner Mrs Healy had gone to the rear of the car after parking it on her drive. It rolled backwards and she became trapped, being dragged across the footpath on Pococks Road.

He said: "She had failed to apply the handbrake. This was a tragic accident."

Coroner Alan Craze said it was extremely rare for something like this to happen adding "We are all human beings, and human beings make errors."

He concluded that she died as a result of a road traffic accident.