Former Page Three model Linda Mann was trying to save her runaway dog when she was hit and killed by SUV
HAMPSHIRE, UK: A former Page Three model was killed after jumping on the road to save her runaway dog on January 6 this year, the inquest has revealed. Linda Mann was tragically hit and killed by an upcoming SUV after she ran onto dual carriageway A303 West near Winchester, Hampshire to desperately save her puppy that had leaped out from her car.
The 55-year-old former model, who had an early career as a glamour model in British newspapers, was in her car driven by her son Antonio Barber when they pulled into a lay-by at 10 pm but the Staffordshire Bull Terrier puppy jumped off her lap and out of the car.
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The inquest further heard Mann followed her puppy onto the dual carriageway in a desperate bid to save him and got hit by a Mazda CX3, whose driver would have needed at least three or four seconds to take 'evasive action. The SUV struck both her and the dog and they both died at the scene on the A303 West near Sutton Scotney.
Winchester Coroner's Courts heard that Antonio had pulled over into the Lay-bay as he thought his mother, who has been drinking heavily that night, was going to be sick. Senior Coroner Christopher Wilkinson said: "Ms. Mann was the passenger in the car traveling with her puppy on her lap. It appears the puppy leaped from the window or through the [passenger] door when it opened."
Toby Gray, the driver of the Mazda CX3 that killed Linda made a statement in which he said, "The road was very dark as there are no street lights in the area. I saw something in the middle of the two lanes. I thought that the obstacle was a bag as it was very low to the ground. But then I saw her white face just as the car hit her. She appeared to be crouching down and holding something."
Further forensic collision investigator Laura Bailey told the inquest: "Ms. Mann can be seen running into the road to retrieve her dog. She can then be seen moving into a kneeling position as she starts try to get out of the carriageway. By the cameras' frame rate we can calculate she was in the road for between 1-1.6 seconds.
"Ms Mann was wearing dark clothes so could not be seen. This meant Mr Gray couldn't identify her as a hazard. It would only have been once Ms. Mann moved [he would have realized she was there]. [Ms. Mann was] inconspicuous on the dark road in her dark clothes. As a consequence, there was insufficient time for Mr. Gray to react," the investigator added.
Later, the post-mortem examination of the body revealed that Linda, who previously admitted to prostituting herself to fund her crack cocaine habit, was 1.5 times the drink drive limit and also had morphine in her system. Recording a conclusion of accidental death by a road traffic accident, Mr. Wilkinson said: "We have to factor into account that she was under the influence of drugs and alcohol. This would have dulled her thinking ability. The oncoming driver would not have expected her to be in the dual carriageway- where she was."
He added, "He would need at least 3-4 seconds to move and was afforded approximately one. The driver could not prevent the collision. This was a desperate and tragic event that happened in a matter of 2-3 seconds, from the moment she left the vehicle, to when the incident happened." [Ms. Mann's] love for people and desire to help was reflected in the very last seconds of her life as she tried to save her puppy."