The husband of a barrister who died saving her children from a caravan fire has taken legal action against a glamping company, seeking more than £200,000 in damages over an allegedly faulty fire alarm.
Ruth Pingree, 42, was staying at a glampsite in Suffolk with her family in July 2022 when the vintage Airstream caravan she was in became engulfed in flames. The lawyer managed to help her two children escape but remained trapped inside as her husband watched from outside.
An inquest previously heard that the blaze may have been started by stray campfire coals or a cigarette end surrounded by flammable plastic astroturf. Now, Roland Pingree is suing Happy Days Retro Vacations, claiming over £200,000 for fatal injury, loss, and damage under the Fatal Accidents Act 1976. He is also bringing personal injury claims on behalf of himself and his children.
Allegations of Negligence
Mr Pingree alleges that the smoke alarm in the caravan was defective and failed to sound, costing his wife vital seconds that might have saved her life. The inquest into Mrs Pingree's death, conducted by coroner Darren Stewart in April last year, heard that the family had travelled from their home in Thames Ditton, Surrey, to stay with several other families at the site.
The caravan, nicknamed 'Betsy', had a smoke and carbon monoxide detector in the kitchen area, along with a fire blanket and a small fire extinguisher. On July 23, the family socialised with friends around a fire pit in the evening, with some adults smoking cigarettes. The site owner performed a security check around 12.30am, an hour after the last person left the fire pit. The inquest noted 'a few glowing embers' in the pit and that the weather had been exceptionally dry and windy, with hotter than average temperatures.
The coroner found that between the inspection and 4.30am, a fire started outside one end of the caravan, first catching the exterior before spreading inside. The external aluminium cladding heated up, causing the door frame to jam shut. Mr Pingree was woken by the children and alerted to the blaze. He forced open a window as the caravan quickly filled with acrid smoke. While Mr Pingree was outside and Mrs Pingree inside, they helped the children escape before Mrs Pingree was overcome by flames and smoke.
Coroner Stewart described Mrs Pingree as 'an amazing person... someone who had a quality about them that drew you to her with her smile, her laugh, her heart, her vulnerability and her brilliant mind'. He added: 'She was a person who would make you feel loved and valued and appreciated. A one in a million.'
Legal Claims and Defence
In addition to the faulty smoke alarm, Mr Pingree claims that the glampsite's risk assessment was inadequate and that there was no safety assessment regarding the flammability of the awning, artificial grass, and interior of the caravan. In its defence, the company's barrister, Joel Kendall, admitted a duty of care but denied liability for Mrs Pingree's death.
Mr Kendall stated: 'It is denied that the risk assessment was wholly inadequate as alleged or at all. To the contrary, the assessment was suitable and sufficient when benchmarked against relevant government guidance.' He acknowledged that there was no formal assessment of flammability but argued such an assessment was not reasonably required given the size and nature of the premises.
The defence noted that the central fire pit was approximately 11.5 metres from the caravan's awning and was surrounded by bricks to prevent fire spread. While the artificial grass was flammable, sand lay beneath it, and the caravan's upholstery was fire retardant.
Mr Kendall also denied that the smoke detector failed, pointing out that Mr Pingree was wearing earplugs at the time. The detector had been checked three to four days before the family's arrival, purchased and fitted in April 2021, and checked monthly. He argued that even if the alarm did not function, it would not have provided significantly earlier warning than the children's alarm.
Furthermore, the defence highlighted that Mrs Pingree's blood alcohol level was 200mg/100ml at post-mortem, suggesting that 'significant alcohol levels' would have impaired her judgment, reactions, and movements, and that increased sound pressure would have been needed to rouse her from sleep.
The glampsite at Wardspring Farm, Saxmundham, has since permanently closed. The case is set for a pre-trial hearing unless a settlement is reached beforehand.
