A CORONER will write to a rail company to query safety measures on a viaduct after the death of a woman.

Victoria Hanson, 54, of Cockermouth, was discovered beneath the Wetheral Viaduct footbridge in Carlisle on July 2, 2021.

An inquest into her death held at Cockermouth Coroners’ Court heard she had sustained injuries consistent with a fall. She had climbed five-foot high railings and her fall was not witnessed by anyone.

Ms Hanson had travelled from Cockermouth to Carlisle on the morning of July 1 and the last known sighting of her was when she boarded a train to Newcastle from Carlisle.

Her family said she was ‘loved’ and ‘cherished’. She had a ‘great sense of fun’ and a ‘great affinity with children’.

Ms Hanson had long-standing mental health issues and was diagnosed with persistent delusional disorder. She was not compliant with medication.

She had been engaging with mental health services and had a number of stressors in her life. She had recently appeared at Workington Magistrates’ Court for harassment and was estranged from her family.

The inquest heard Ms Hanson’s family had raised concerns over her wellbeing but she had not been detained under the Mental Health Act because she didn’t meet the criteria for detention.

Shannon Kane, Ms Hanson’s care co-ordinator, told the inquest that practitioners can only go on what they see at the time of assessment. Ms Hanson had denied being suicidal but stress was known to increase her suicidal thoughts.

Mark Knowles, who led the investigation by the Cumbria Northumberland Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust into Ms Hanson’s death, said the care and treatment was in line with policy.

Ms Kane had regular supervision meetings and was appropriately trained. She had a lot of experience dealing with mentally unwell patients.

Mr Knowles said Ms Kane was in a difficult position because if she pushed Ms Hanson too hard, she risked her disengaging. Ms Hanson had a ‘real and genuine fear’ of being sectioned.

He said Ms Kane went ‘above and beyond’ in her role, waiting outside Ms Hanson’s house and driving round Cockermouth looking for her.

Mr Knowles found the risk of suicide had been assessed as too low and should have been higher. He did not find any missed opportunities for an assessment under the Mental Health Act.

Ms Hanson’s family had asked the coroner to consider neglect as a contributing factor to her death.

But Kirsty Gomersal, area coroner for Cumbria, said there was no evidence that the care fell below the standard expected and neglect was not a contributing factor.

The cause of death was multiple injuries inconsistent with life due to a fall.

Ms Gomersal found that Ms Hanson intended to take her own life by falling from height from Wetheral Viaduct. She concluded that Ms Hanson died by suicide.

In her concluding statement, the coroner said: “Wetheral Viaduct is certainly on my radar. A further death was reported in the months before Victoria’s death.

“I will take this opportunity to write to Network Rail to ask for an update on the safety measures on the viaduct to ensure suicide prevention measures are made on a regular basis.”

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