Cornwall Grandmother crushed to death in landslide wearing just her pyjamas after her home was hit during wall repairs
The 68-year-old died instantly after she was buried under the rubble of her home
A GRANDMOTHER was crushed to death when her home was engulfed by a massive landslide triggered by torrential rain, an inquest heard.
Tragic Susan Norman, 68, died instantly after she was buried under the rubble of her home in Looe, Cornwall.
The grandmother was found in her pyjamas in a seated position after the landslide had wrecked the two-storey house.
Her two neighbours managed to flee the landslide, which was apparently the second to hit the area in just three months.
A post mortem found that the mum-of-three had died as a result of crush injuries to the head and chest.
Dr Amanda Jeffery, who carried out the examination, said: "Mrs Norman died as result of injuries sustained when her flat collapsed following a landslip at the rear of the property.
"Mrs Norman had suffered a catastrophic head injury and crush injuries to the chest. She was clearly alive at the time the building collapsed.
"Nothing could have been done by the paramedics to have altered the outcome as the injuries sustained were incompatible with life. It is likely she was killed almost instantaneously."
At the start of the three week hearing in front of a jury in Truro, Cornwall, one neighbour gave a dramatic account of how he ran for his life and escaped as mud and debris flooded his home on March 22, 2013.
Dwayne Bown, 24, said: "I arrived home at 11.30pm. It was really rainy. It was unusual weather for that time. You could see the rain coming off the road. It was torrential,
"I heard a few really loud bangs so I got out of bed to see what was going on. At the time I didn't know what the bangs were.
"As I left to go into the front room of the flat there was a second bang and that's when the house moved, causing the floor to drop in front of me.
"I couldn't assess what was happening until I got out onto the landing which meant kicking down the door.
"You could see water and mud coming down onto the landing while I was trying to get out.
"The entrance had got blocked completely so I had to climb over dirt and water and mud."
The inquest heard that repair work was being carried out to a retaining wall behind Susan's home before the landslip as it had been "bulging".
Neighbours also reported a previous landslip on the same road a few months earlier, where other repair work was being carried out.
Fellow neighbour Rowan Beckingham, who was not there during the accident, said in a statement: "I remember thinking it was crazy they were putting concrete into a cliff."
Speaking about the on going building work, he continued: "I saw some of the work, every time I left to go to work I saw two young lads labouring, no one was telling them what to do or advising them."
Assistant Coroner Stephen Nicolls told the inquest Susan had died at her home in Looe called Veronica, a detached property which had been split into three flats.
He added: "Susan very sadly died when there was a landslide behind Veronica.
"We hear Susan was killed and buried by the material."
The three-week inquest, which will hear from 41 witnesses, continues.
Last month saw the 50th anniversary of the Aberfan disaster in Wales where 116 children and 28 adults were killed in a catastrophic colliery collapse.
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