A post-mortem examination, carried out by Dr George Kokai, consultant paediatric pathologist at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, found Bethany’s liver was ruptured, leading to internal bleeding, which was the cause of her death.
Acting on behalf of Bethany’s family, barrister Peter Gregory asked Dr Kokai: “If the child’s body was over-run by one or more of the wheels of the car, would that be to your mind the most obvious explanation for a ruptured liver?”
Dr Kokai said “Yes”.
One witness, John Ward, told the inquest that the car “carried on for six to 10 feet” before stopping.
Another, Stephen Malone, added: “The car didn’t seem to brake at all, and took a while before it stopped.”
PC James Martindale, of the Collision Investigation Unit, on Smithdown Road, said: “I’ve reason to believe that, had there been any effects of braking at the moment of impact, Bethany would have been projected forward to land on the road surface.”
Coroner Christopher Johnson recorded a verdict of accidental death.
