Flintshire woman died after becoming trapped under campervan | UK News

A British woman died in Australia after becoming trapped under a campervan, an inquest has heard.

Eleanor Thompson, 35, originally from Mold, Flintshire, died from multiple injuries in March 2025, when her vehicle rolled off a driveway and slid down an incline, crushing her.

Miss Thompson had been travelling alone in Australia since 2023, living in the campervan.

The inquest at Denbighshire Coroner’s Court, in Ruthin, heard how the hospitality worker had been house-sitting for a friend in Burringbar, in New South Wales, when the incident happened.

The inquest heard it was not possible to know whether the campervan’s handbrake had been left off before it rolled down the steep incline.

Miss Thompson’s last contact with her family in the UK was a text to her mother, Amanda, on 8 March.

After failing to arrive for her shift at a local pub on 10 March, two friends went to the property where she was house-sitting to look for her.

They found her van about 20 metres from the house, wedged into vegetation, having evidently slid off the driveway. Her body was found beneath the vehicle.

A post-mortem examination in Australia concluded she died as a result of multiple injuries, including broken ribs, after being crushed by the van.

A coroner’s office in Australia had recorded a conclusion of “misadventure”, but coroner John Gittens said he felt a conclusion of “accident” was more appropriate under UK coroner’s law.

The inquest heard that a powerful cyclone – Storm Alfred – was battering New South Wales at the time of the incident. It caused widespread damage, but the weather is not believed to have played a part in Miss Thompson’s accidental death.

Miss Thompson had embarked on her travels three years ago, first to Asia, in 2022, and then on to Australia, in 2023.

She had been planning to return the UK later this year, when her visa ran out.

A statement written by Miss Thompson’s father, Peter, was read out by Mr Gittins at the inquest on Tuesday.

He described his daughter – who was known as Ellie – as someone whose “adventurous spirit could never be contained”.

He said she had “a passion for music and dance”, and had previously worked at London’s Groucho Club, meeting artists such as dancer Wayne Sleep and singer/songwriter Paolo Nutini.

He paid tribute to his daughter’s “kindness, openness and generosity of spirit”.