Mother-of-two killed as she fell out of car on to busy motorway

Woman and her boyfriend had been drinking and arguing just before tragedy, inquest hears

A young woman has been killed after falling out of a moving car on a motorway and being hit by oncoming traffic.

Dominique Worrall, 32, a mother-of-two, had been in the passenger seat of her boyfriend’s car, and it is believed the pair had been in an argument before she died, an inquest heard.

Dashcam footage played at the hearing was said to have shown her getting out of the car on the M20 in Kent and being hit by “several vehicles”.

A detective said the footage was clear that she “comes out [of her] own free will”.

The inquest into her death on 20 February last year was told Worrall had a “volatile” relationship with Terry Dunne, her boyfriend.

Mr Dunne did not stop the car, a Nissan Qashqai, and instead handed himself into police the next day.

He was initially arrested on suspicion of murder, but all charges have since been dropped.

Giving evidence, Detective Sergeant Ross Gurden from Kent Police said the couple had been drinking at Camber Sands caravan park in East Sussex, and tensions were high because of a dispute over a former partner.

The inquest heard it had been raining and the motorway traffic was heavy. Police received multiple calls at 6.05pm about an accident between junctions 10 and 9 on the London-bound carriageway.

A post-mortem examination found Worrall died of multiple injuries, and a toxicologist reported finding traces of cocaine in her blood.

The hearing was told there was a history of domestic violence between the couple, with police being called out in November 2017 after a call from Worrall.

The coroner heard she told the 999 operator: “Domestic violence, please come now”, and had suffered serious facial injuries.

Mr Dunne was arrested for grievous bodily harm but no further action was taken because there was insufficient evidence.

It was also heard Worrall had previously attempted suicide and had been under the care of mental health teams.

Last year she was diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder, alcohol misuse, and probable bipolar disorder.

Assistant coroner Geoffrey Smith recorded a conclusion of misadventure.

“The circumstances are recorded on dashcam footage. It shows Dominique herself opened the door of the car in which she was travelling,” he said.

“Dunne was driving and she fell from the car.”

He said cocaine was found in her system and that she had also been drinking.

He went on: “No one will know what happened in that car.

“Mr Dunne denies any involvement in her death and officers say there is no third-party involvement.

“What cannot be doubted is she fell from the vehicle travelling at speed and that killed her.”

After the inquest, Loretta Petrucci, Worrall’s mother, said: “I have so many unanswered questions.

“I can’t mourn my daughter because nothing makes sense to me.

“Why didn’t he stop? That was my daughter and he was supposed to love her.

“You would stop for an animal.”

Additional reporting by agencies