A Hornchurch woman was killed in Turkey when she was hit by a driver suspected to have been speeding while under the influence of alcohol, an inquest has heard.
Lisa Di Palma, 61, died at 5.30am on August 13 following a road traffic collision in Fethiye a week earlier.
Opening an inquest into her death on Friday, September 5, Senior East London Coroner Graeme Irvine said Lisa was hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing.
“The early indications are that Miss Di Palma was hit by a speeding driver who was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision,” Mr Irvine said.
A Turkish police investigation is ongoing, the inquest heard.
Lisa and her husband Keith ran the Tigers Junior Football Club in Hornchurch for 27 years.
The club posted on Facebook: “Our hearts are shattered. We’ve lost not just a wife, mum, nan and friend but the heartbeat of our football club.
“Lisa Di Palma wasn’t just behind the club – she was the club. The passion, the laughter, the endless hours, the belief in every single player, big or small – all came from her.
“Grassroots football meant everything to Lisa, and Lisa meant everything to grassroots football. She gave so much of herself to make sure our club wasn’t just a team, but a family.
“Let’s turn Facebook yellow and black in her honour. For Lisa. For everything she gave us. For the legacy she leaves behind.”
A GoFundMe set up by a family friend has raised almost £20,000 for her family, you can donate here.
The collision took place on August 6 at a pedestrian crossing on Cahit Beğenç Boulevard in the Foça neighbourhood.
Mr Irvine said a post-mortem completed in the UK gave her cause of death as multiple injuries caused by a road traffic collision.
As her death was unnatural, Mr Irvine opened an inquest which will be heard in full at a later date.
He asked the Foreign Office to do its best to acquire a police report, a forensic report and records of medical treatment Lisa received in Turkey.
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