Phil Spencer’s mum died of brain injury and infection, coroner says

TV presenter Phil Spencer’s mother died from a lung infection and brain injury, a coroner has said.

Anne Spencer died after the car she was driving tipped over the edge of a bridge and plunged into the Nailbourne River in Littlebourne, Kent.

She was travelling with her husband, Richard, and their carer to a family lunch on 18 August.

Mr Spencer also died in the incident. The carer, who was in the back of the car, escaped through a window.

The couple were trapped in their car for up to 20 minutes, after entering the water at around 12.20 BST, her inquest, which opened on Monday in Maidstone has heard.

The coroner, Sarah Clarke, said: “It struck the bottom of the river and overturned.”

Paramedics arrived at the scene almost 40 minutes later and took Mr and Mrs Spencer to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Hospital in Margate.

Mrs Spencer was pronounced dead at 21.55 BST.

Ms Clarke confirmed Mrs Spencer’s medical cause of death as aspiration pneumonia, hypoxic-ischaemic brain injury and near drowning.

Hypoxic-ischemic brain injury is caused by a lack of oxygen to the brain, while aspiration pneumonia is an infection of the lungs caused by inhaling food or liquid.

At the time, Phil Spencer said: “As a family, we are all trying to hold on to the fact mum and dad went together and that neither will ever have to mourn the loss of the other one. Which is a blessing in itself.”

He added that with his mother having Parkinson’s and his dad having dementia, the “long-term future was set to be challenge” but described his parents as being “amazing”.

The full inquest for Mr and Mrs Spencer’s death will be held on 19 December.

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