Nurse Hilda Jonga and US airman Levi Carper, based at RAF Lakenheath, died after crash near Methwold, inquest told
A mental health nurse made a phone call in the minutes leading up to a crash which killed both herself and a US airman, an inquest has heard.
Hilda Jonga, 55, was driving her Mercedes along Cranwich Heath Road towards the junction with Mundford Road near Methwold when she pulled into the path of 27-year-old Levi Carper – who was driving his Audi – on the morning of Wednesday, July 26, 2023.
It is not known whether the call was made via a hands-free device or not.
The inquest into Hilda’s death, held at Norfolk Coroner’s Court on Thursday, was told that she had been travelling to work at HMP Wayland when the crash happened just before 7am that morning.
A statement from crash investigator PC Michael Stolworthy, which was read to the court, said that the conditions were “dry and sunny”, and the road was free of debris, while neither vehicle had any defects.
Brake tests were also conducted at the scene and good levels of grip were present, while the sun’s position should not have dazzled either driver. Neither had drugs or alcohol present in their system at the time.
PC Stolworthy said that Hilda’s phone had been analysed following the crash, which found an outgoing call to her partner Tony Gordon at about 6.48am which lasted almost seven minutes, before it was cut off at around 6.56am.
“She was engaged in a mobile telephone conversation in the moments leading up to the crash,” PC Stolworthy said, adding that using mobile phones while driving is a substantial contributing factor to collisions, due to it pulling drivers’ focus away from the roads.
When considering why she pulled out at the junction, the investigator said it seemed possible that the telephone conversation “could have contributed to her not being able to see the Audi”.
“The exact reasons why she didn’t take the necessary precautions is unknown, but using the mobile phone can’t be ruled out,” he added.
The inquest also heard from a number of drivers who were the first on the scene following the crash – among them was Coatlyn Christiansen, who had first met Levi around three weeks prior through working at RAF Lakenheath.
He said he checked the Audi that Levi was in, and said there were no signs of life, while Hilda was unconscious but still breathing.
Sharon Wilson, practice manager at Feltwell Surgery, also stopped at the scene and contacted a nurse who would also be travelling in the same direction to ask if she would also be able to attend and help.
Emergency services were soon on the scene, with CPR attempted on Hilda for around 35 minutes, before both were declared deceased.
The inquest was told that Hilda was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, and worked as a teacher before relocating to the UK in the 1990s to retrain as a mental health nurse.
In more recent years, she had set up a business with a friend called Quality Plus Locums.
In a statement from her family, read to the court, Hilda, who lived in Hertfordshire, was described as “charismatic and a great leader in the family and community”.
She was “selfless” and would “light up the room”, they said, adding: “Losing her has left a huge void in our lives. She was the life and soul of our family and she will be missed.”
Her partner Tony said it had taken 58 years to find his “diamond” Hilda.
In summing up the evidence, area coroner for Norfolk Yvonne Blake said that Hilda was a “much-loved lady” who came from a “very loving family”.
She said: “It seemed that she had found new love and everyone was happy about that, she also had her own business. Things were going really well for her. She was enjoying her life.
“Her partner Tony told us she had only been to Norfolk twice and possibly didn’t know the roads.”
Ms Blake gave a short-form conclusion that Hilda had died as a result of a road traffic collision.
She offered her condolences to Hilda’s family, and said: “It’s just appalling, I’m so sorry.”