Tragic death of Wigan mum who struggled after miscarriage and missed her family

Joanna Broda, who lived in Whelley, had received treatment for depression, anxiety and psychosis, including as an inpatient.

Things seemed to be looking up, as she was looking forward to seeing her family in Poland, her son had done well at school and she had received an expected payment.

But an inquest at Bolton Coroner’s Court heard the 36-year-old did not always take the medication she had been prescribed to treat her mental ill health.

And that could be what led her to leave home in the early hours of July 21 and drive to a railway bridge on Walter Scott Avenue, Whitley.

Mrs Broda was born and brought up in Poland, worked as an English teacher in private schools and pre-schools, and got married in 2010.

The couple welcomed a son in the same year and the family moved to the UK in 2013, where her husband set up a haulage company and she worked as his assistant.

But the court heard Mrs Broda was badly affected by a miscarriage in 2017.

She had a form of therapy, but it made her mental health worse, and combined with missing her family in Poland and then the pandemic lockdowns, her health deteriorated.

Mrs Broda was detained under the Mental Health Act in June 2021 and spent two months as an inpatient at Atherleigh Park before being discharged.

She had further mental health care in December 2021 and March 2022 after referrals from Wigan’s A&E department.

The inquest was told Mrs Broda was seen on the railway bridge on Walter Scott Avenue on April 6 and detained again, before being taken to Atherleigh Park.

Locum consultant psychiatrist Dr Rashad Nazir said she felt hopeless, worthless and guilty about being unwell when she was admitted.

Her medication was increased and she agreed to stay on the ward for a week, the court heard.

She reported some improvement in her mood the following week, though it remained low, and she agreed to remain in hospital.

Weekly reviews were carried out during her stay at Atherleigh Park, Mrs Broda was granted both escorted and unescorted leave, and progress was made.

Dr Nazir said her depression and anxiety had improved when she was discharged on May 6, she was taking her medication and she wanted to go home to her husband and son.

Mrs Broda was visited at home by the early intervention team, her care co-ordinator Melanie Hayes and consultant psychiatrist Dr Divakar as her treatment continued.

Dr Divakar said Mrs Broda admitted not taking medication on June 6, but she did not have any psychotic symptoms or thoughts of self-harm.

She had symptoms of anxiety and depression when he saw her on July 19, but he said she was looking forward to going to Poland and agreed to keep taking her medication.

While she did have some suicidal thoughts, she cited her son and the upcoming trip as protective factors, he said.

Dr Divakar explained Mrs Broda was taking medication for depression, anxiety and psychosis and her mental health would deteriorate if she did not take any or all of the tablets.

Ms Hayes, a senior nurse practitioner, visited Mrs Broda at home up to three times each week.

She said she was not always compliant with her medication and even in hospital she would secrete it or stop taking it.

Mrs Broda spoke about having thoughts of ending her life between July 6 and 11, but did not want to go to hospital and the thoughts settled.

Ms Hayes went to her home at 3pm on July 20 and said Mrs Broda was struggling with stomach pains, so their meeting was rescheduled.

Mrs Broda denied having suicidal thoughts and agreed to contact Ms Hayes, the early intervention team or out-of-hours service if that changed.

The court heard Mrs Broda spent that evening at home with her husband and went to bed at around 11pm.

Her husband was awoken at around 6am the next day by his son as police officers were knocking on the door.

He realised his wife was not there and the officers told him she had died.

An investigation by British Transport Police revealed she was seen on CCTV driving along Wigan Lane at 2.39am and walking past houses on Walter Scott Avenue with one of their dining chairs at 2.46am.

She managed to get onto the railway line and was hit by a train travelling from Crewe to Copeland.

The inquest heard she suffered multiple injuries and died instantly.

The investigation found the experienced train driver was travelling at the correct speed and there were high walls on the footbridge to prevent access to the railway.

After hearing the evidence, coroner Prof Dr Alan Walsh said he did not know what had changed in the final hours to lead Mrs Broda to want to end her life.

But he suspected she was not taking her medication correctly, which was confirmed when her husband said he found tablets hidden under the bed after her death.

He said: “The problem appears to be that whether she was in hospital or she was at home, she was not compliant with the medication regimes. If and when she was compliant, she was relatively stable, but I am satisfied, particularly from the information from Mr Broda that after her death he found tablets under the bed, that she had not been taking her medication.”

He recorded that she died by suicide.

Prof Dr Walsh expressed his sympathy for the train drivers and passed on his condolences to Mrs Broda’s family.

If you need to talk, call Samaritans at any time on 116 123.