Family tributes to emergency services following ford death inquest

Priscilla Turner (pictured), the wife of Jonathan Gammon – who was killed after the car in which he was a passenger was swept away in flood water in April – also thanked the police for their sensitivity and support, in her statement read out at the inquest on Tuesday.
Miss Turner’s counsel paid tribute at the inquest to the skill and bravery of the April rescue operation at the ford.
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service’s group manager for Basingstoke, Dave Norgate, said that it had been a tragic accident and their thoughts remained with Mr Gammon’s family.
“Firefighter Bancroft, along with commanders and personnel from both Hampshire and Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Services, pushed themselves to the limit in highly-dynamic and testing circumstances to rescue Mr Gammon that morning.
“Sadly, despite every effort, Mr Gammon did not survive. However, we hope his family can take some comfort from the heroic endeavours of the fire crews in their attempts to save him.
Miss Turner said that her husband’s untimely death had brought great sadness to his family, friends and colleagues, and had changed their lives forever.
“Jonathan was known as a man of great compassion and worked tirelessly for the good of the justice system. He is sorely missed and always will be.
“Jonathan was also a hard-working individual, who actively engaged with the community and would want the problem of Headley ford resolved to ensure a similar tragedy could never occur again.”
Mr Norgate added: “Thankfully, this type of incident is extremely rare, but the dangers of driving into deep water should never be underestimated.
He said that a car could be moved by just six inches of flowing water and a ford could change depth by up to three metres in 20 minutes during flash floods.