Grace, 19, stepped out in front of lorry after taking illegal Japanese anti-anxiety drug sold online
A PRETTY teen stepped out in front of a lorry after taking an illegal Japanese drug available on the internet, an inquest heard.
Grace Brockelsby, 19, was killed instantly by the truck after taking Etizolam - a banned extra-strength anxiety pill known as ‘street valium’.
An inquest heard Grace had turned to the drug and it could well have affected her ‘cognitive ability’ when she died.
Lorry driver Marc Gibbins, 48, told the hearing in Boston, Lincs: “As I was almost level with her I saw her step out in front of me. I could not do anything in time to avoid hitting her.”
Grace, of Boston, Lincs., died from multiple injuries following the incident on Wainfleet Road, Boston, at 7.45pm on June 5.
Boston Coroner’s Court heard dashcam footage showed Grace looking towards the lorry then walking out into the road.
She was seen pausing before turning her back to the lorry then apparently bracing herself for the impact.
The inquest heard Grace stepped into the road when the lorry was 85ft away and it would have needed 190ft to stop.
Mr Gibbins said: "I was in severe shock... I knew this was an intentional act as the girl had waited for me to be so close to her and was looking in my direction as she stepped out.”
ANXIETY BATTLE
The inquest heard Grace had battled anorexia an anxiety in the past and had slipped out of a psychiatric assessment early when the doctor went to photocopy some documents.
She had twice been sectioned before and had frequent suicidal thoughts.
A post mortem revealed therapeutic levels of prescribed medication but also the presence of Etizolam - Grace was already taking.
Lisa Teague, for Grace’s family, said: “I think all family and friends present here today do believe that Grace did intend to take her own life.”
But Lincolnshire coroner Paul Smith said he could not be sure she wanted to kill herself as there was no suicide note or social media posts to back the theory.
He said: "There was no note, social media or phone message to suggest that it was suicide.
"Furthermore, she had often referred to acting on impulse with no thought as to the consequences and he could not be sure."
Giving a narrative conclusion Mr Smith said he could not be certain what effect Etizolam had on her cognitive ability.
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He said: “I record that her intention in so doing cannot be determined to the required standard.”
Etizolam has been the subject of public health warnings from police in Scotland where it is known as "street valium" and where its use has become widespread.
It is unlicensed in the UK where it is classified as an illegal Class C drug.
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