Barrister given only ‘basic instructions’ and no helmet died after jet ski crash on Dubai honeymoon, inquest hears
12 June 2024, 08:12
A barrister died in a jet ski crash on her honeymoon in Dubai after only being given ‘basic instructions’ on how to operate it, an inquest heard.
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Michaela Danso, 46, hit a sea wall while using the jet ski on the third day of the trip in December 2022.
The couple had only been given ‘basic instructions’ on how to ride the powerful jet ski and neither of them had ever used one before ,Walthamstow Coroner’s Court heard.
Mrs Danso crashed into a sea wall and she was ‘catapulted’ onto the ground, hitting her head.
A post-mortem examination found her cause of death was a head injury caused by blunt force trauma.
Mr Danso told the inquest: “Michaela was a bubbly person who lived life to the fullest. She was a gorgeous person and well liked by many members of the community. She adored music and danced to it even if it was coming from a passing car.”
He said the jet ski company told them they were too big to fit on one jet ski - a ploy he believes made them rent two, meaning Mrs Danso had to pilot one by herself.
“Mr Danso said: “It was never her intention to operate a jet ski alone. She had only reserved one for me and she wanted to sit behind me.”
Her devastated husband said he was thrown into the back of a police van after the crash and police took him to the station to give his statement.
“I was traumatised and the officers kept telling me to ‘shut up’,” he said.
Mrs Danso, from Holloway in north London, was a barrister with Charterhouse Chambers in Chancery Lane, and first practised criminal law before moving into family law.
Senior coroner Graeme Irvine said: “The evidence I heard from Mr Danso was that Michaela didn’t plan to pilot a jet ski; she intended for her husband to pilot the jet ski and she would be a passenger for this pleasure ride.”
He said if the death had occurred in the UK he would be writing to the jet ski rental company about their safety procedures and equipment, and the local authority.
The coroner recorded a conclusion of “accidental death due to injuries sustained in an accidental jet ski collision”.
