'Daughter cried out as cable car crushed her'

A mother told an inquest today how her 14-year-old daughter was crushed to death by a cable car in South Africa.

Cara Weaver had been about to watch mother Gillian abseil down Cape Town's Table Mountain.

She sat near elder brother Callum beneath the giant mechanisms. But as a car approached Cara became trapped.

Mrs Weaver, 55, from Osmington, Dorset, told the inquest that she heard Cara cry out, then saw her trapped by the heavy counter-weight of the cable cars.

The weight was a giant U-shaped piece of metal that moved horizontally 1.5 metres every 90 seconds.

Callum, then aged 15, screamed for the cars to reverse and it was only then that Cara was pulled free by her mother.

Despite resuscitation attempts by Mrs Weaver, Cara died while being flown to hospital.

A post mortem showed death resulted from a severe neck injury.

The inquest heard that Cara had been on holiday in South Africa four years ago with her family, including father Bob, 53, an electrical engineer.

The Weavers claimed there were no warning signs and no barrier. The managing director of Table Mountain Aerial Cable Way Company denied this and said Cara must have climbed over a locked gate. As its statement was read out, Mrs Weaver shouted out "lies".

An investigation by South Africa's health and safety department had criticised the firm. The West Dorset coroner recommended safety be improved at the site.

Verdict: accident.