Christopher Coll, 45, and Kayleigh Coll, 38, from Dorset, were found dead in their camper van at a New Forest cider festival after suffering carbon monoxide poisoning from a gas heater used inside the vehicle
Christopher and Kayleigh Coll, from Blandford Forum, Dorset, were found dead in their vehicle on October 12(Image: FACEBOOK)
A married couple tragically died from carbon monoxide poisoning after using a gas heater in their camper van at a cider festival, an inquest heard.
Christopher Coll, 45, and Kayleigh Coll, 38, of Blandford Forum, Dorset, died on October 12 last year when they were exhibitors at the cider craft festival in the New Forest.
Their inquests held separately at Winchester Coroner’s Court on Wednesday heard the business owner and trainee accountant had travelled to the fair to sell crafts and stayed in their van in a field for exhibitors on site. They were found dead by fellow exhibitor Alexander Huxley, who had met the pair the night before over drinks and music, after he thought it was odd they did not appear at their stall at around 11.30 the next morning.
The inquest ruled that the pair were poisoned by the heater they were using inside the van(Image: Kayleigh Coll/Facebook)
He went to check on them and when he opened the door was hit with a powerful smell of gas, the inquest heard. He discovered a gas heater with a canister attached to it, and saw the couple motionless in the back of the van and “turned around in shock”.
An examination of the gas heater and cylinder after the couple’s deaths found it had been used with 10% of gas remaining in the cylinder, and the heater was not properly fitted to the gas bottle and a gas leak was discovered.
Hampshire area coroner Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp said: “We’ll never know how the connection became disconnected.”
Providing testimony at the inquest, Howard Jonas from Flogas, the firm that conducted the inspection, explained that parabolic heaters should only be operated outdoors or in well-ventilated areas.
In outlining the case facts, the coroner stated: “Overnight on the 11th they suffered carbon monoxide poisoning due to running a camper gas cylinder with a heater that was not designed for use in an inside environment.”
She informed the families she could not rule their deaths were accidental as it was a deliberate decision to switch the heating on “with a totally unintended consequence”. Instead she determined their deaths were misadventure.
The coroner nevertheless expressed concerns about whether a safety warning appears on heaters to indicate they cannot be operated in enclosed spaces.
Ms Rhodes-Kemp said: “I will be contacting the manufacturers of the heater to see whether a warning is on the device itself, I think that may prevent a future death. All I can say is I am terribly sorry because it’s an absolute tragedy for two young people to die like this.”
The coroner added the butane gas odour detected by Mr Huxley was largely irrelevant to their deaths as it was odourless carbon monoxide poisoning that was the cause of death.
Relatives who attended the hearings described Kayleigh Coll as the most kind person you could ever meet, and Christopher Coll as a very loving, good person who “absolutely adored” his children and had goals to live off the land and be self-sufficient.
The inquest into Ms Coll’s death heard from her family that this was a singular instance the couple slept in the van, described as a “one off” while they were attempting to establish their business.
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