Tired nurse drowns after driving off road into river

Family members of 23-year-old Laurie Jones reported her missing on October 2, 2019 after she failed to return home from a night shift at the University Hospital of Wales A&E. The young nurse had left the hospital at 1:40 am but remained untraceable since she clocked out. Newport Coroners Court heard that the police traced her usual route back from the hospital to find her vehicle. Police discovered Laurie's corpse in the vehicle submerged in a river near Wyllie, Blackwood. Post mortem reports confirmed that Laurie had drowned while trying to escape from the car.

The inquest heard Katie Bolan recall her interaction with Laurie before she went missing. Bolan's daughter had been admitted for treatment at the hospital. She claimed that she interacted with Laurie twice, once around 10:45 pm and once around 1:15 am. During the first interaction, Laurie seemed fine but she repeated herself multiple times. The next time she came to give the child medication, she seemed extremely tired.

After completing a high-stress shift at A&E, Laurie clocked out of the hospital late at night. The young woman from Caerphilly left the hospital in her Volkswagen Beetle at around 1:40 am. Police was alerted by her family around 9 am the same day.

Police traced the path Laurie usually took on her way home. Around 12:50 pm, they found Laurie's car submerged in the river near B4251 road in the village of Wyllie, Blackwood. Laurie's body was still in the car, but her legs were out of the driver's side window. Post mortem reports revealed that Laurie suffered a head injury but she died due to drowning.

Heavy rain had made the driving conditions difficult. The area near the river has multiple bends which were hard for Laurie to navigate due to the road conditions, as well as exhaustion.

Laurie's mother, Jo Jones, told the inquest that the area where her daughter had the accident should be better lit and barricaded, the Daily Mail reported. By erecting barricades and installing more street lights, drivers will not face difficulties navigating the bends even during poor weather conditions.