Gap year tragedy leaves Stafford family 'broken hearted and devastated'

Those are the words of the grieving mother of a 21-year-old who died while quad biking for a job in Australia.

Jessica Hughes, who had wanted to travel the world, was killed after losing control of the bike while working on a farm in Queensland.

Her mother Carolyn, of Stafford, said her daughter, who had only been in country three weeks when the accident took place, had left an imprint on everyone she had met.

An inquest into her death heard that Jessica had been given little or no training to use the bike on the

one million-acre farm located at Charters Town where she had been working for Camm Agricultural Group.

On the afternoon of June 27 2013 she was tasked with driving back some of the farm's cattle with one of the owners Judith Camm.

Former Walton High School student Jessica was riding the quad bike while Mrs Camm was leading driving a cattle trail.

Then in the afternoon Mrs Camm was nearing her way back to the yard and thought Jess was lagging behind, but she was later found ten metres off the dirt track road with no pulse.

However, the court also heard how Jessica received little or no training into using the quad bike or safety training by her new employers.

This has led to the firm being summoned to Australian courts later this year on health and safety issues following an investigation into Jessica's death.

The bike was also examined by Australian police officers and was found to be in an unsatisfactory mechanical condition but coroner for South Staffordshire Andrew Haigh said it was inconclusive whether it was a factor in the accident taking place.

Coroner Mr Haigh told the court: "It appears that Jess had received little or no safety training in using the quad bike before she went out to drive the cattle and had little experience of using one before.

"What I think we can say is given Jessica's level of experience (of riding the bike) that was not appropriate for what she was doing at the time.

"In terms of the actual circumstances of her death, it does appear Jessica has lost control of the bike so she has ended up under the bike sustaining head injuries."

Coroner Mr Haigh recorded a verdict of accidental death.

Mrs Hughes said: "Jessica had such a zest for life and loved to party, dress up and have fun, she was also very caring and loving, she wanted to travel the world.

"She loved the natural world and all the animals in it and relished the idea of work in the outback whilst in Australia, she was only there for three before she lost her life.

"Our hearts are broken and our lives are now devastated over the loss of Jessica and for her sister Jodie.

"She has left such an imprint on all the people who knew her in her short life and has a Rowing boat in her name from her university days at University of West of England and also a Barbary Macaque monkey from the Monkey Forest, Trentham, where she worked as a park guide."