Inquest opens for woman, 60, after fatal M56 bridge fall
Yvonne Lawrence fell from the bridge on the A49 onto the westbound carriageway between junctions 10 and 11 on the evening of Friday, October 4. At 8.24pm, police responded to a report of a pedestrian who’d been ‘struck by a number of vehicles’ on the motorway. Ms Lawrence, of Rudheath in Northwich, was pronounced dead at the scene and her loved ones were informed, though formal identification did not take place until Thursday, October 17.
Traffic was held while police and emergency services attended the incident, and the carriageway remained closed for 12 hours, not reopening until 10.30am on October 5. At a hearing at Cheshire Coroner’s Court in Warrington on Wednesday, October 30, senior coroner, Jacqueline Devonish, officially opened an inquest into the 60-year-old’s death. 
It was adjourned until Tuesday, April 29, 2025, when the police investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ms Lawrence’s death is expected to have concluded. The coroner’s officer’s brief report confirmed the fall had been witnessed by passersby. Cheshire Police appealed to the public for information about how and why Ms Lawrence came to be on the bridge on the day in question.
Anyone who was driving on the westbound carriageway between 8.15pm and 8.30pm on Friday, October 4, and may have witnessed the incident, or has dashcam footage, has been asked to come forward. They also asked any drivers who believe they may have hit Ms Lawrence to get in touch. Sergeant Simon Degg, of Cheshire Police roads and crime unit, said: “Our enquiries into how the pedestrian came to be on the A49 overbridge remain ongoing.
“We are asking any motorists who were travelling on the M56 between junction 10 and 11 for Warrington and may have witnessed the incident, or captured it on dashcam, to please get in touch. “I would also urge any motorists who were on the westbound side of the carriageway at around the time of the incident or immediately after it occurred and who believe they may have struck the pedestrian to also contact us.” At the time of the incident, a Cheshire Police spokesman said: “At around 8.24pm on Friday, October 4, officers responded to an incident between junctions 10 and junctions 11 on the M56 motorway near to Warrington.
“Officers attended the scene and found that a pedestrian had been struck by a number of vehicles. “Sadly, the 60-year-old woman from Northwich died at the scene. “Her next of kin has been informed and a casefile will be prepared for the coroner.
“Both sides of carriageway were subsequently closed whilst officers dealt with the incident, with the junction itself remaining closed until 10.30am on Tuesday, October 5.”
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