Accidental death verdict on Shropshire bath tragedy student, 17
A Shopshire teenager died after suffering an epileptic fit in the bath an inquest has heard.
Charlotte Blakeway, 17, of The Lyde, Bromlow, never let her epilepsy get in the way of living a full and happy life, her mother said.
She said she had had endless letters and messages, many from people whom her daughter had helped.
Mr John Ellery, coroner for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, heard that Charlotte had been at home in April, getting ready to go to Shrewsbury to meet her boyfriend.
Charlotte's mother, Mrs Elizabeth Blakeway, told the inquest that her daughter had run a bath.
When she went to check on her she discovered her lying in the bath with no sign of life.
The teenager was taken to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital where death was certified.
Mr Ellery recorded a verdict of accidental death. He said: "I have recorded a conclusion of accidental death, but in these circumstances it was not Charlotte's epilepsy that killed her.
"It happened unpredictably and unexpectedly while she was in the bath, and it was the drowning which killed her.
"Paramedics arrived at 12.42pm, they stopped resuscitation at 12.48pm and confirmed her death at 12.51pm."
The coroner was told that Charlotte had had epilesy since the age of five but had not started to have seizures until the age of 14.
"They were sporadic and there was no warning before an episode," he said.
Paying tribute to her daughter during the inquest, Mrs Blakeway said: "She was still able to lead a healthy, full life, except that she was unable to drive, something she wanted to do."
"She was a normal 17-year-old and that is all she wanted to be. We have had so many messages and letters, many of them from parents of people she had helped at college."
Also speaking at the inquest was Reverend Pam Bickley from Hope Church who said Charlotte's funeral had been a celebration of her life.
"Her boyfriend read a eulogy, one friend read about her life with Charlotte and another wrote and sung a song for Charlotte. Red balloons were released as a celebration of her life."
"She was a strong Christian and she had a wonderful faith."
