An inquest will be held into the death of an elderly mum-of-five who was hit by a car - one year after the driver's conviction for killing her was overturned.
Alice Gilchrist died after being hit by a car which was reversing from a driveway in Ashton-in-Makerfield, a hearing at Bolton Coroners Court heard on Tuesday (February 15).
Paramedics rushed the 86-year-old from the scene at Vicarage Road to Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, in Wigan, where she was sadly pronounced dead on July 25, 2019.
Bolton Coroners Court heard that the driver involved was found guilty of death by careless driving following a trial at Manchester Magistrates Court, handed a suspended 26-week prison sentence and banned from driving for two years.
But the conviction was overturned on appeal last year at Bolton's Nightingale crown court, where a full rehearing took place, the coroners court heard.
Now, medical evidence surrounding Mrs Gilchrist's death will be made public at Bolton Coroners Court, following the wishes of her family who are eager for the true cause of the death to be confirmed.
An inquest was opened shortly after Mrs Gilchrist's death, but the coroner's investigation was stopped while criminal proceedings took place.
At a pre-inquest review hearing this afternoon in front of Julie and Joseph Gast, Mrs Gilchrist's daughter and son-in-law, coroner Timothy Brennand agreed that the inquest should resume in a public hearing.
The hearing heard that an initial report from pathologist Professor Philip Lumb gave the cause of Mrs Gilchrist's death as multiple fractures, which led to acute respiratory failure and asphyxia.
Mr Brennand, senior coroner for Manchester West, said: "All the injuries are capable of being explained by her being driven over."
Outlining the legal position, Mr Brennand explained that while the driver had accepted Mrs Gilchrist had been run over, she denied she had struck the pensioner and caused her to fall to the ground.
Mr and Mrs Gast told the court that Prof Lumb had not been called upon to give evidence to the crown court during the driver's appeal last year, where it was suggested that Mrs Gilchrist could have suffered a 'medical episode' before being hit by the car.
Mrs Gast said: "It was very hurtful to my family. A lot of people are considering that my mother had a heart attack or she fell prior to the accident.
"I don't see any evidence that she had a medical episode prior to when [the driver] ran over her. That's really important to us as a family.
"I saw my mum's body - I saw the damage that was done to it."
Mr Brennand told the court the evidence he had seen did not suggest Mrs Gilchrist died because of a medical episode.
Having considered the family's position, the coroner agreed an inquest should take place to clear up any 'uncertainty in the medical evidence'.
He added that Prof Lumb and the investigating Greater Manchester Police officer will be called on to give evidence.
A date for the final hearing is yet to be confirmed.
