Mum who died in car crash 'may have been distracted watching 'Love Island' on her phone'
A mum may have been distracted by watching Love Island on her phone when her car veered into the path of a lorry while on the school run, an inquest into her death has heard.
Charlotte Buesden was killed after her Nissan Qashqai collided with the front of the HGV on a busy road in Kemsley on 23 August.
The 28-year-old had just dropped her son off at school when the fatal accident happened.
DC Bob Fursey told the hearing Buesden’s car had veered into oncoming traffic at 7.30am and the lorry driver had no chance of avoiding a collision.
He said her phone was found on the dashboard, alongside a magnetic phone clip, with an error message showing on the ITV Hub app.
The phone had disconnected from an episode of Love Island, but there was no evidence of her sending messages or using data before the collision.
Fursey added: “It is suggested she may have been distracted by watching Love Island by looking at or reaching for her phone.
“The reason for the loss of control from Ms Buesden’s car is not explained, but she was distracted from steering, and this most likely came from being distracted by her phone.”
One witness, who was two cars behind Ms Buesden’s Nissan, explained seeing the car approach a slight bend but, instead of steering, stayed straight and began to “veer into the wrong lane”, before the crash.
Forensic collision officer PC Duncan Swallow told the court that dash cam footage from the HGV lorry was poor, but it appeared to show Ms Buesden, of Alma Road, Sheerness, looking in the direction and extending her arm in the direction of where her phone would’ve been mounted.
He went on to say there were no weather conditions that would’ve played a part in the accident and it appeared she may have been distracted by her phone.
Ms Buesden suffered a severe fracture of the skull and coroner Bina Patel’s official verdict was that her death was due to a road traffic collision.
Following the tragedy more than 40 bunches of flowers, messages, and a small bottle of Prosecco were left in her memory.
One friend, Fran, wrote: “You are too young, too beautiful and too kind to be gone. You are part of all my fun times. I have so many amazing memories of you I will treasure forever.
“You were an amazing mummy. I so wish we had more time together, more laughs, jokes, and love but it’s been so cruelly taken away.
“I will never forget you and I will love you always.”
A Facebook memorial has also been dedicated to Ms Buesden, reading: “We hope that people who love Charlotte will find comfort in visiting her profile to remember and celebrate her life.”
