'Devoted' mum died in Snowdonia fall after getting lost looking for pool she saw on TikTok
A "devoted" mother-of-two died after falling from a knife-edged peak in Snowdonia National Park, an inquest has heard.
Victoria Naomi Luck, a special educational needs teacher from Wolverhampton, died on December 19, 2021 following the 150ft fall from Crib Goch.Miss Luck, 47, had been out hiking with her partner Matthew Radnor, who had taken her away to Betws-y-Coed after she had expressed an interest in visiting the Snowdonia infinity pool after seeing it on TikTok.
It heard how Mr Radnor and Miss Luck, a keen walker described as being an "energetic, healthy, active person", were climbing the mountain with their dog when they got lost. They decided to descend the mountain in different directions in an attempt to find their way down, with Mr Radnor taking a route which was easier for their dog to walk down.In his statement, which was read out during the hearing, Mr Radnor said the pair had met in the summer of 2021 and "hit it off straight away".
He said: "We were in love, I felt like I had met my soulmate and within two weeks we were making plans for the future, we planned to get married."I saw the infinity pool on TikTok and showed it to her, she was quite taken with it and thought it looked amazing so we decided to go."
'Something was wrong'
The inquest heard that, during the walk, the pair did not have a map and were not using a navigation system on either of their mobile phones.In an attempt to get down, Mr Radnor said that Miss Luck climbed down into a gully and said she would carry on walking down that way while he and their dog, Louis, went to find an easier route. He said that within a few minutes, he heard Miss Luck "yelp", but did not witness her fall.Mr Radnor said: "I called 999 on my mobile, but my battery ran out when I was on to Mountain Rescue. I didn't know where I was."During the hearing, Mr Radnor said: "Louis (the dog) was clever, I started shouting and he knew something was up, he was looking down the mountain with a concerned look on his face, he knew something was wrong."
Mr Radnor alerted other walkers in the area that there had been an incident when he began shouting for help. Shortly after a coastguard rescue helicopter from Caernarfon and Llanberis mountain rescuers arrived at the scene and Ms Luck was put on board the aircraft but sadly succumbed to her injuries shortly before 3pm.Assistant senior coroner for North West Wales, Sarah Riley, ruled that Miss Luck's death was down to "misadventure". She said: "They were on their way back down when she fell 150ft. Mr Radnor did not witness the fall, but did hear her scream."There were no established paths in the area, and this was not a known route to descend Crib Goch. Mr Radnor confirmed that they did not have a map and were not using any apps on their mobiles as navigation aids. Victoria Naomi Luck died from multiple injuries due to a fall from height."
'A devoted mother'Following her death, Miss Luck's father, Gordon Victor Luck, said: "Vicky had a large circle of friends and was a mentor to others. She would always help others and her home was always open to those who needed her."She was a devoted mother and a talented caring person. She loved life, had a good sense of humour and was a caring daughter. She will be and is so very sadly missed by everyone"