Inquest into river death

A Merseyside man drowned when he drove his car into the River Mersey after suffering a heart attack, an inquest has heard.

Gerard McClellan, who was 62 and from Huyton, was driving along Kings Parade at the King's Dock when the accident happened at around 2030 BST on 22 August.

The retired taxi driver lost control of the car and swerved from side to side before crashing through railings and into the river.

Liverpool Coroner's Court heard Mr McClellan suffered from chronic pulmonary disease, kidney disease and a severely enlarged heart, but was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.

'Resuscitation was pointless'

The inquest heard from lifeboat engineer Paul Wright, who said Mr McClellan had been underwater for almost an hour.

"When we got to the surface there were no vital signs and we realised resuscitation was pointless," he said.

Merseyside Police confirmed there was no damage to the car, apart from the two front tyres, which were damaged on impact.

Coroner Andre Rebello recorded a verdict of accidental death by drowning.