Inquest underway into death of woman who died following Padstow's Obby Oss
Laura Smallwood suffered a neck injury on May Day 2019 and was airlifted to hospital
A three-day inquest is underway into the death of a woman who died following Padstow's Obby Oss festival.
Laura Smallwood fell unconscious shortly after being hit in the neck by the Obby Oss costume â a large wooden circle worn by a masked male dancer - on May Day 2019.
The 34-year-old paediatric nurse died in Derriford Hospital three days after the centuries-old festival was held in the town.
While the incident may have caused Mrs Smallwoodâs death, the inquest heard how she may also have been hit in the head during a row with another woman earlier in the day.
The cause of her death was made even more mysterious by a medical report which asked whether an existing injury, from days or weeks before, could have been to blame, the inquest was told.
Mrs Smallwood was involved in a âscuffleâ with another woman at about 6.15pm on the day of the parade, the inquest heard.
The woman, who was in an argument with her boyfriend and another boy, said she pushed Mrs Smallwood when she tried to intervene, senior coroner Andrew Cox was told.
One witness described hearing a âwallopâ or a âslapâ when the woman made contact with Mrs Smallwood and recalled seeing her sunglasses fly off her head and into the road.
Kirsten Norfolk, a local priest, said she remembered seeing a mark on her friend Mrs Smallwoodâs forehead afterwards.
However, Mrs Smallwood âseemed fineâ and âlaughed it offâ.
Another witness, Sian Howells, told the court that, around an hour later, she saw the hobby horse â known as the âObby âOss or just âOss â make a âsignificant impactâ with the back of Mrs Smallwoodâs neck when its carrier fell.
Minutes later, Mrs Smallwood complained she was âdizzyâ before the right side of her face began âdroopingâ, her breathing became âlabouredâ, and she turned âreally white or blueâ and lost consciousness.
A woman began CPR before paramedics arrived, the inquest heard.
Mrs Smallwoodâs husband Oliver told the court his wife was a âvery happyâ, âstrong-willedâ, âreally funâ, and âvery caringâ woman.
He recalled working in a local pub at around 7pm when he received a phone call telling him she had been âknocked outâ and âhad been hit by the âOssâ.
Mr Smallwood was initially told she was âOKâ but, when he arrived in a nearby field where she was, he saw people trying to resuscitate her.
âI could already see that Laura was lying on the ground,â he said.
âShe was having CPR administered to her.â
Mr Smallwood told the inquest he accompanied Laura by air ambulance to hospital, where he was first told the situation was âpositiveâ because medics could not find any damage, though they were unsure of why she was deeply unconscious.
Kevin Constance, the man in the horse, told the inquest the fullness of risk assessments have been increased âto a degreeâ.
He said: âCan I offer my sincere condolences and sympathies to the family? This isnât the sort of thing that I wanted to happen.â
In June 2019, police said they would not be charging anyone in relation to Mrs Smallwoodâs death.
The inquest continues.