Inquest into death of Laura Perry after Broads boat fall

Laura Louise Perry, 38, of City Walk, London, died following the incident on the River Bure on August 19, 2020. 

Miss Perry had been on a pleasure boat on the River Bure when she fell from the back of the boat and into the water. 

The inquest heard that she died “almost instantly” and had to be recovered from the water an hour later. 

The emergency services at an incident on the River Bure at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

Bosses at the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) in charge of investigating the incident described the events leading up to Miss Perry’s death. 

Giving evidence at Norfolk Coroner’s Court on Wednesday April 12, Graham Wilson, deputy chief inspector at the MAIB, said: “On August 17, a family group of nine arrived at the Ferry Marina boat hire at Horning, Norfolk. 

“Their arrival was 18 minutes later than scheduled for a five-day boating holiday on board the motor cruiser Diamond Emblem 1.  

“The group consisted of Laura Perry, her partner - the nominated skipper - and their three sons aged 16, 14 and four, her mother and father, her sister - the driver - and her 16-year-old niece. 

“At about 11am on August 17, [the group] headed east down the River Bure toward Great Yarmouth, where the group planned to spend the afternoon visiting the town.” 

The emergency services at an incident on the River Bure at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

After arriving in Great Yarmouth Yacht Station shortly after 1.15pm, they were informed by a Broads Authority ranger there was no space at the moorings.  

At this point, the driver, Miss Perry’s sister, tried to slow the boat by pulling the propulsion control lever to its full reverse position.  

The lever would not move and in a last attempt to avoid a collision, she shouted down to the cabin space for someone to cut the engine.  

The boat then collided with a moored motor cruiser and the force of the impact caused a wine glass to fall onto the cabin floor and shatter, causing her youngest son to cry out. 

Almost immediately, the boat started to accelerate backwards toward the embankment wall on the opposite side of the river. 

Miss Perry, who was standing on the upper deck, walked towards the back and went down the steps to go and comfort her son. 

As she opened the back deck door to the cabin space, their boat made heavy contact with the embankment wall.  

Miss Perry was thrown violently backwards into the water, grabbing the curtain hanging inside the doorway as she fell. 

She became trapped under the boat and did not resurface, despite efforts from her partner, James Allen, and sister who jumped in to try and rescue her. 

The pleasure boat after the incident on the River Bure at Great Yarmouth (Image: Denise Bradley)

The impact with the wall also caused a length of mooring rope that had been loosely stowed on the boat’s rear side deck to fall into the water. 

By this point, Miss Perry’s father had managed to press the stop button and cut the engine. 

Area coroner Yvonne Blake listed Miss Perry's medical cause of death as "multiple injuries and drowning due to, or as a consequence of, entrapment beneath a boat following a fall into the water." 

Miss Perry, who was born in Bermondsey, London, was pronounced dead at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services. 

On hearing Mr Wilson’s evidence Mrs Blake described the moments before Miss Perry’s death as a “perfect storm” as she had attempted to enter the boat during the same time of impact, causing her to fall backward and into the water. 

The inquest, which is being attended by a jury, continues.