An inquest into the deaths of Lydia Marsh, 25, and her partner Stephen Rhodes, 49, has concluded they died in a road traffic collision. The hearing on September 9 at Preston Coroners' Court heard that Marsh died from multiple traumatic injuries after Rhodes drifted his Mazda MX-5 into the path of an oncoming HGV near Gisburn, Lancashire, in April. Rhodes was killed instantly.
Lancashire Police investigated the incident after Marsh's family expressed concerns about Rhodes's alleged manipulative and controlling behavior. Her father also suspected Rhodes had installed a tracking app on his daughter's phone and voiced fears of a murder-suicide, citing a comment from Rhodes: 'If I can't have her then nobody else can.'
However, collision investigators found no evidence that Rhodes deliberately crashed the vehicle. CCTV footage showed the Mazda gradually drifting into the opposing lane approximately 1.5 seconds before impact. The HGV was traveling at 56 mph, exceeding the 50 mph speed limit for such vehicles. Police confirmed both occupants were wearing seatbelts and airbags deployed.
Sergeant Barry Moore explained that passenger reaction times vary and it's unclear if Marsh was paying attention or could have reacted in the brief window. A passer-by reported the HGV driver, Greg Kelly, stating that Rhodes appeared to have passed out or fainted just before the collision, though Kelly did not include this in his formal statement.
An examination of the couple's mobile phones revealed they both used a location-sharing app, but police found no evidence of criminal behavior or coercion within their relationship. Colleagues indicated the couple had briefly broken up two weeks prior to the crash but had reconciled.
A post-mortem examination of Rhodes revealed significant heart disease, with a 90% blockage in a major coronary artery. The coroner suggested it was likely Rhodes suffered an 'acute cardiac event' immediately before the collision, providing an alternative explanation to the family's concerns. The inquest returned a conclusion of road traffic collision for both deaths, with the coroner extending condolences to the families.