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Woman dies after being hit by reversing daughter

Cuxton Social Club
Cuxton Social Club

by Rebecca Hughes

A woman has died after being run over by her 17-year-old learner-driver daughter as she practised reversing.

Barmaid Sue Duke, 41, was standing behind the Ford Ka helping Lauren back into a parking space when she was knocked down on Monday.

The mum-of-three was crushed against another vehicle in the car park of Cuxton Social Club, where she worked as a steward, and suffered serious head injuries.

Sue Duke
Sue Duke

She was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on Wednesday evening.

Ms Duke's ex-husband and three children - Lauren, daughter Brogan, 21, and her 10-year-old son Callum - were said to have been keeping a bedside vigil.

A woman eyewitness, who asked not to be named, said: "We were arriving at the social club when it happened. It was absolutely awful.

"The young girl was in the car reversing and her mum Sue was standing out of the car, directing her into a space. Suddenly the car sped into another parked car, crashing into it.

"At first we didn't realise Sue had been hit, we just saw the damage to the car. But then we saw Sue lying on the ground.

"She had been hit on the head, there was blood everywhere. It was catastrophic.

"We just tried to help her and comfort her before an ambulance got there.

"The girl was hysterical, she was screaming and crying, it was so awful. We tried to calm her down but she was so upset."

Ms Duke, of Cecil Avenue, Strood, had lived in Cuxton for most of her life.

A neighbour said: "I saw Lauren shortly after it happened on Monday and she was in a terrible state. She couldn't stop crying and could barely speak.

"She said her mum was in a very serious condition and possibly had suffered brain damage."

Police were called to the club, in Bush Road, at about 11.20am by South East Coast Ambulance Service.

A Kent Air Ambulance helicopter was scrambled at about 11.35am and landed in a nearby field.

Ms Duke's family were too upset to talk about the accident.

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