Inquest into death of Suffolk woman at Nowton Park Country Fair in 2011

Posted 07/10/2012

Bury St Edmunds Coroner Peter Dean is this week continuing to investigate the death of Carole Bullett, the 57 year old woman who was killed when a horse bolted into a crowd at the Nowton Park Country Fair on 19th June 2011.

Carole, from Bury St Edmunds, was having a day out with her husband Alan, their daughter Lynsey and grandson Tyler when the tragedy occurred. A four year old strawberry roan Breton horse called Lucas broke loose and bolted, pulling its carriage behind it and ploughing into Carole and numerous bystanders. Carole was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital by air ambulance but died the following morning from the injuries to her chest.  A number of other people were injured during the incident and seven were taken to West Suffolk Hospital by the emergency services.

The horse was the most recent addition to a small team accustomed to giving tourists carriage rides around Bury St Edmunds and taken to the country fair for the same purpose.  He was initially the subject of positive publicity in the town when it was revealed by his then owner, Duncan Drye of Carriage Tours, that he had been brought to England having been rescued from a French meat market.

Hannah Rutterford, a personal injury specialist at Ashtons Legal, is representing the Bullett family. She explains: “The incident has raised many questions surrounding both the suitability of the horse for the job he was being expected to do, and the Health and Safety procedures in place both to ensure the wellbeing of the horse and to minimise the risk to the public.  We are attending the Inquest on behalf of the family in order to provide any assistance we can to the Coroner in ascertaining the exact circumstances that led to Carole’s tragic death.”