Laura Smallwood, a pediatric nurse, was injured when she was struck by an “obby oss”, one of a pair used at the Centuries Festival in Padstow, North Cornwall, on May 1, 2019. The obby oss is made of a wooden frame covered with black oil leather with a small horse head with a buttoned jaw. A process of blue and red bone around the city on May Day. A witness, Sian Howells, told the Truro hearing that the incident took place at the point where the two met. He said: “Laura had gone behind the oss. Suddenly the oss moved backwards. It is very unusual to go backwards. As she fell, Laura stood with her back to the bone. “The only thing they always tell you is not to have your back to oss. Most people face the bone with their hands out. I could see it coming towards her, with the edge of the bone hitting the back of her neck. “They hit her and she looked as if she had fallen to the ground.” Kevin Constance, who was carrying the stalk, said he fell backwards “on my bum”. Constance, who has been in the processions for 40 years since she was 16, said: “Everything was fine, for some reason I felt like I was going backwards. I did not travel at that time. It does not happen very often, but it happened in this case. I was sober. I did not know that I was hitting anyone. I could only see ahead. “ He helped get up and continued on his way “completely ignoring” the incident with Smallwood. Constance, who has been honorary secretary of May Day celebrations for 22 years, told the medical examiner that May Day in Padstow was more popular than Christmas Day, but admitted that it was like Bovril – “either you love it or you hate it.” Cornwall Senior Medical Examiner Andrew Cox said the investigation would look into whether Smallwood died as a result of the injuries she sustained in her collision with the oss. He said another explanation was that he suffered from injuries sustained during a brawl earlier that night outside one of the town’s famous chef Rick Stein’s businesses. The medical examiner said Smallwood may have been injured in an unknown incident about 10 days earlier, or a fourth chance was that she suffered some injuries “in some other way”. Another witness, Charlotte Stupple, said that after the oss incident, Smallwood felt dizzy. He said, “Thirty seconds later, Laura grabbed me by the arm and said, ‘Charlotte, my face.’ “I could see the right side of her face from her mouth had fallen.” “His breath was cut off and he was taken to hospital.” The investigation found that Smallwood’s husband, Oliver, wanted to know if the event was well organized and if changes had been made. He said his wife was a caring, fun, happy and strong man who had no medical ailments or diseases. The investigation continues.
