Newspaper report of fatal accident in Plymouth June 2017

[CaroleW]

I am looking for any newspaper report about the following death if anybody can help.  I have Googled until I am crosseyed but cannot find anything online.  (His christian name has 2 x r’s but have tried searching with one as well)

My friends brother Garry Pentelow died on 13.6.2017 in Derriford Hospital although he lived in Cornwall. He was 78yrs old at the time.  Inquest was held 22.1.2018 in Plymouth

Cause of death is shown as Traumatic brain injury - Road traffic collision.  COPD is also shown but the Coroner concluded the RTA was the cause of his death.  As his death & the inquest were both in Plymouth I am assuming that’s where the accident happened.

My friend had been estranged from her brother for many years.  She only learnt of his death a few weeks ago but was unaware of the circumstances until I received his death cert today. 

[Ashtone]

As it was fairly recent, it's probably not on BNA, for example. Very few online newspapers for the last 20 years. So you might need to access applicable Devon or Cornwall online newspaper archives.

[BumbleB]

Certainly nothing on FindMyPast.  Alternatively Plymouth Library    Although I do admit that I don't know how up-to-date libraries are with newspapers.

[CaroleW]

Thank you both.  Have just been reading that you can obtain a copy of the inquest report.  If I can’t find any newspaper report I will ask my friend if she wants to go down that route.

It has come as a surprise to her that he had moved to Cornwall.  When I first checked for her & saw the RD was Plymouth I thought he had died on holiday.

[Mocummings]

Derriford Hospital takes patients from all over Cornwall as well as Plymouth. It is a major trauma centre. If he died at Derriford then his death would have been registered in Plymouth.   If he was living in Cornwall the accident might only have been reported in a Cornish newspaper.

Plymouth and district newspapers  as recent at that will be held at Plymouth Central Library on microfilm.  If you email the library they might be able to do a look up for you and send you a copy, for a small fee, although they don’t have the number of staff as they used to.  It could have been reported in The Herald, or Western Morning News.  They don’t hold Cornish newspapers.

[CaroleW]

Thank you very much for that information.  So the accident could have happened in Cornwall but because of the nature or extent of his injuries he was taken to Derriford.   That makes sense.

I have checked online for Cornwall reports but came up with nothing.  I will ring Plymouth Central Library tomorrow but suspect I will be sending for the coroners report

[Mocummings]

The local papers report fatal road accidents without the name of the deceased, as they do it prior to next of kin being informed.  The name might be published later if the accident was a serious incident, involving several vehicles for example.
Inquests down here are held in batches and the Herald only reports any that are of interest to their  readers, and sadly RTAs involving elderly people don’t come into that category.   
So, if you are asking the library to do a search for you then ask just for a fatal RTA around the date of death, as he might have died days after the accident. For  an inquest to check for a couple of weeks after the date as the paper uses them as ‘fillers.’    The papers are no longer indexed, as they were when I worked at Plymouth Reference Library, so it would mean someone having to trawl through the microfilm, a lengthy task. 

[CaroleW]

Thank you for that info.  I will be ringing my friend later & will suggest I just send for the coroners report if she wants further details of the RTA as I think that will be a simpler solution
 

[Mocummings]

It would be the best idea as our local paper is not known for accurate reporting!