Family of Shropshire couple killed in taxi crash on Mauritius vow to seek answers
The family of a Shropshire couple who died in a taxi crash abroad have vowed to search for more answers following the conclusion of their inquest.
Hugh and Liz Vaughan, who lived in Prees Heath, near Whitchurch, died in Mauritius on May 1 last year, while on a holiday to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, the inquest at Shrewsbury’s Shirehall heard.
A coroner has now judged that their deaths were due to a road traffic collision.
The taxi they were in lost control on a wet day and rolled over several times, crashing through a barrier.
Mr Vaughan died of his injuries at the scene and Mrs Vaughan died a few hours later at a nearby hospital.
But Mr Vaughan’s children said the conclusion of the inquest yesterday, following a long wait, didn’t give them much comfort.
They have vowed to keep making inquiries with the Mauritian authorities, and the taxi driver, to ascertain exactly what led to the deaths.
Senior coroner John Ellery concluded the couple had died due to a traffic collision at yesterday’s inquest.
He decided to conclude the inquest of Hugh Vaughan, 56, and his 45-year-old wife after discussions had taken place with their children.
Mr Ellery said: “Mr and Mrs Vaughan were taking a taxi back to their hotel and I understand the weather conditions were wet. They were in a taxi driven by Shahnawaz Oozeerkhan.
“Mr Oozeerkhan appears to have lost control of the taxi and the vehicle rolled over a number of times, and Mr and Mrs Vaughan suffered multiple injuries as a result.
“The accident occurred on a road in Long Mountain in Mauritius. Mr Vaughan died of his injuries at the scene and Mrs Vaughan died a few hours later at a nearby hospital.”
Mr Ellery said that the inquest might have been concluded months ago, but the fact that Mr Oozeerkhan faces a criminal charge in relation to the accident, as well as the matter of an ongoing review into the safety of the road, meant that the proceedings were held up.
An article in the Mauritian newspaper L’Express, reporting on the accident, called the area where it happened an accident ‘blackspot’.
Mr Vaughan’s children have been in contact with the Mauritian authorities as well as Mr Oozeerkhan himself.
They say they have been told he faces a criminal charge and intend to learn as much as they can about the circumstances of their father’s death.
Natasha McGovern said: “We are in contact with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office as well as the taxi driver but even now we are waiting to hear from Mauritius. The driver said he was on bail and that it could take up to three years before it is all over. We don’t even know what the charge is.”
Matthew Vaughan said: “Words can’t really describe how we have been feeling. We want to find out if it was the crash barrier at fault for what happened.”
Abi Vaughan said: “Having such a long time between the accident itself and the inquest finishing is hard. You don’t want to forget about it but you want to understand it and put it to bed.”
She paid tribute to Hugh, saying: “Our dad was a fantastic man, a brilliant businessman and a great dad to us all.
“To have him taken away in such tragic circumstances hit us all really hard, but hopefully we are going to find the answers as to what happened.
“His memory will live on in all of us, and we’re striving every day to make him proud.”
The inquest opened in May last year, soon after the accident, but had been delayed until this week.
