Stowmarket mother-of-two Annie Thompson who died after head-on collision was unlawfully killed, finds inquest

A Stowmarket mother-of-two who died following a head-on collision near Thetford was unlawfully killed, a coroner’s court has found.

Anneka (known as Annie) Thompson-Bowen 35, died from injuries sustained in a collision at Euston in August, Suffolk Coroners' Court heard on Friday.

Ruslan Trofimov, 48, of Norwich, also died in the collision.

At around 7pm on August 17, Stowmarket mother-of-two Annie was returning from a family holiday with her children, driving an Audi A6 south along the A1088.

At the same time, Ruslan Trofimov, 48, of Norwich, was driving an Audi A4 in the opposite direction, towards Thetford.

Earlier that day, Mr Trofimov had sent text messages to his partner to say he he would get drunk, wanted to disappear and ‘had to get out of this situation’, according to a record of inquest into a hearing held at Suffolk Coroner’s Court, in Ipswich.

The Record of Inquest said: “He had told his partner not to be angry and that he won’t come back, she would ‘find a car’.

“He had previously said to his partner that if he was to kill himself, he would drive into a lorry at high speed.”

The court heard Mr Trofimov’s driving was ‘extremely erratic’ over a prolonged period, from dangerously slow to speeding up to ‘what looked like 100mph’ and sudden braking.

The Record of Inquest said: “He was swerving about, clipping and bouncing off verges throwing up dust and taking corners dangerously fast.

“At times he crossed the central white line and he narrowly missed colliding with at least three oncoming vehicles who moved to avoid his A4.”

Mr Trofimov was seen to approach a bend in the road at speed and failed to turn, driving across the southbound lane and into a head-on collision with Annie’s A6.

“Annie did not have sufficient time or distance to identify, react and avoid his vehicle that was on her side of the road,” said the Record of Inquest.

The level of alcohol in the blood of Mr Trofimov was more than three-and-a-half times the legal limit for driving. A number of empty alcohol cans were found in the front passenger footwell of the A4.

There was no evidence that any mechanical, medical or environmental factors contributed to the collision.

Mr Trofimov sustained multiple injuries and died at the scene. Assistant coroner Peter Taheri found he died as the result of a road traffic collision,

Annie was taken to hospital with serious injuries and died peacefully at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, in Cambridge, of traumatic brain injury sustained in the collision, on September 29.

Assistant coroner Peter Taheri concluded Ms Thompson, a mental health support worker, was unlawfully killed.