Grandmother dies after being hit by rugby ball while watching grandson play, inquest hears

Jennifer Selwood, 69, died after being hit on the head with the ball in Somerset over four years ago

The 69-year-old was rushed to hospital in Bristol where she died (pictured: stock image) (PA Archive)

A grandmother died after being struck on the back of the head by a rugby ball as she watched her grandson play, an inquest heard.

Jennifer Selwood, 69, suffered a bleed on the brain after being hit in the accident at Taunton RFC in Somerset in January 2020.

She was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital on the morning of 12 January and later transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol where she died on 25 January.

The inquest in Wells, Somerset, heard Mrs Selwood had diabetes and the blood disorder aplastic anaemia, which would cause bleeding and clotting problems if she suffered an expected trauma.

Mrs Selwood’s husband, Colin, told the hearing he and his wife were watching their grandson play when they moved position to a hardstanding gravel path linking two adjacent pitches because the sidelines were quite slippy.

Ms Selwood groaned and collapsed to the floor after being struck by the ball in 2020, her husband said (PA Wire)

He said they were standing next to each other watching their grandson, when his wife was hit by a ball from the adjacent pitch where another youth team was warming up.

“She was struck. She just made a groan and collapsed to the ground, and I went down to support her,” Mr Selwood said.

“People came across and asked if she wanted a chair and water and that sort of thing.

“I think there was an off-duty doctor in attendance, and they just told me to stay there and hold the back of her head, which is what I did.”

Asked whether he saw his wife struck, Mr Selwood replied: “Not really because I was facing the same way as Jennifer was.

“I just heard a thud, and she went down. As far as I know the ball hit her on the back of the head and she went down.”

Mr Selwood said there were no signs to say they should not stand there, and he was not aware of any activity taking place on the main pitch behind them.

The inquest also heard from Mrs Selwood’s son, Dan, who was a youth coach at the club, when he became aware of the incident and ran over to her.

“She was quite dazed, so I went over to her, and she was trying to sit up at that point. I just helped and supported her to do so,” he said.

“When I was with mum she started complaining of pain and started rubbing the back of her neck. She started to drift quite quickly.”

Senior Somerset coroner Samantha Marsh recorded a conclusion of accidental death and said she was satisfied there was a risk to spectators watching a game while another team warmed up on an adjacent pitch.

She said Mrs Selwood’s decision to stand where she did “wasn’t foolish, it wasn’t unreasonable, and she most certainly cannot be considered to be the author of her own misfortune”.

“I am satisfied that a lack of thought has been given to those in control of the potential and foreseeability of this happening, and consequently steps have not been taken to minimise the risk because those risks have not been considered,” Ms Marsh said.

“I am satisfied that this was a very tragic, unforeseen and unintended consequence of the deliberate act, and so therefore this is entirely an accident.

“This accident was contributed to by poor supervision and spectator safety management.”