Family paid tribute to their 'dearly loved' dad, who died while walking his dog in the woods.
Donald Baxter, 67, died on February 11, 2020. He was walking his dog, called Taz, in Woolton ’s Black Woods during Storm Ciara when a high branch broke off from a tree and hit him.
The inquest into his death continued at Gerard Majella Courthouse in Liverpool on Thursday. The jury heard Kate Baxter, Donald's daughter, read a tribute on behalf of the family, before Assistant Coroner Johanna Thompson read a post-mortem report from Dr Johnson, which stated his cause of Donald's death was ‘multiple injuries’.
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On Monday, the inquest heard from a tree specialist, who said large gusts of wind from Storm Ciara were likely to have caused the fall. A witness heard a large crack after 10.30am and said Donald was trapped and couldn’t move.
The witness flagged down a bus driver, who phoned emergency services, but Donald was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.08am. The tribute was from Kate, her brother David and mother Shirley. Read by Kate, it mentioned the moments that she and her mother heard of Donald's death.
Kate said: “On Tuesday February 11, 2020, our dad was killed. Mum was off work and saw police cars pull up outside the house. Her heart sank when officers began walking up driveways to the door. Mum was in shock when she found the man she loved had been married to for 36 years was killed dramatically."
Continuing, she then told the court how she heard of her dad's death. She said: "While on shift, I was greeted by Paul (Mr Baxter's best friend) and my manager. It felt like time just stood still. I couldn't move. Something terrible must have happened.
"From this moment, the details of dad’s death trickled in slowly. Initially all we knew was that he was walking his dog in the black woods when a tree fell and killed him. It didn’t feel real, how could it?"
Kate described her dad as: "outgoing, kind and charismatic" as well as a "principled, caring and reasonable man" before later adding: "friendship and loyalty were very important to dad." She spoke of trips away, adventures and that her dad was: "a big kid himself, he would tell us ghost stories and let our imaginations run wild".
She added: "As a family, we always loved him dearly and hoped that in time we’d continue making very happy memories together."
Mr Baxter, from Woolton, worked for Liverpool City Council for his entire career. His daughter told the court that he: "used his position to make a difference to the people of this city"
She said he was: "An intelligent man. Always reading, always learning." Consequently, the family believes that he would have wanted to know what happened and be clear about the events that led to his death.
Kate added: "In short, he would’ve wanted to know what led to this devastating event occurring. Don would’ve wanted everything done to stop a tragedy like this happening again."
The inquest continues and is scheduled to finish on Friday.
However, before Ms Thompson adjourned at the end of Thursday, Robin Makin, representing the Baxter family, outlined his intention to make a formal recusal application - which seeks to challenge the coroner on the ability to perform duties without impartiality.
Mr Makin had previously told the court that his clients were 'outraged' and felt the inquest process had been undermined by a number of incidents. However, Ms Thompson said: "I do not accept any comments made by me represent actual bias". She continued: "I cordially reject the application that I recuse myself as the coroner of the inquest".
