Man ‘tried to save wife’ before both died in Liverpool flood

A man whose car became trapped in floodwater was seen by a witness trying to save his wife before they both drowned, an inquest heard.

Philip Marco, 77, and Elaine Marco, 76, became trapped on Queens Drive, in Liverpool, after a deluge of heavy rain caused flash flooding on a section of road that dips beneath a railway bridge in 2023.

Senior firefighter Neil Mooney told the hearing the water was like the “River Mersey on a stormy night” and said undercurrents had been strong enough to knock his colleagues off their feet.

The couple’s daughters became emotional as the ongoing inquest heard taxi driver Mahamoud Ahmedsaid saw a man “appearing to carry someone” before disappearing under the water.

An investigation concluded in February that a sewer had been unable to cope with the rainfall, causing a flash flood, the inquest was told.

The couple, who were days away from their 54th wedding anniversary, had left the home of their son, Joshua Marco, after celebrating his 40th birthday on 26 August 2023.

After dropping his brother Simon off at home at about 21:00 BST, they made their way to their home in Mossley Hill, Gerard Majella Courthouse heard.

Mr Ahmedsaid said he had seen the Marcos’ vehicle become partially submerged before he saw a man walking towards him “waving and shouting”.

The inquest was told he had seen a “waterfall” come over the bridge and noticed the man appeared to be carrying someone, but said he could not get closer.

Another witness, Zoe Tater, said she saw a man with a bald head disappear under the water, which she described as a “like a huge lake”.

A third witness, Matthew Davies, said in a statement he thought he had seen “a burst pipe on one side under the bridge, with water spurting out rising like a torrent”.

Station manager Mr Mooney, of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, told the inquest the water was estimated to have reached between 12ft (3.7m) and 15ft (4.6m), before beginning to recede at about 22:30.

Officers found the body of Mrs Marco in the water first, before finding her husband about 40 minutes later, the inquest was told.

Camera footage from the inquest showed a swirling body of water in the road completely obscuring the car from view.

The Marcos’ daughters chose not to watch police footage of the scene and drone footage showing firefighters attempting to locate the victims.

PC Robert Langton, of Merseyside Police, said he “couldn’t believe my eyes” when he saw the floodwater, and did not believe there could be anyone in a vehicle in the water.

“I was absolutely staggered that something as tragic as that could happen in a city like Liverpool,” he said.

“I would ordinarily read about this in a country that has flash flooding.”

Under questioning from Anthony Metzer KC, representing the Marco family, PC Langton agreed he would have expected floor barriers and signage to be in place at the scene .

Another officer, collision investigator PC Elliot Creed, said rainfall was so heavy on the night that Mr Marco may have been unable to see the water until it was too late.

He said the Mercedes would have become hydrolocked, meaning its engine seized, due to the floodwater, the inquest heard.

On Monday, their daughter Sarah Weinberg, who travelled to Liverpool from her home in Australia for the inquest, said: “Their absence is a wound that does not heal.

“The emotional toll is ongoing, relentless, and life-altering.”

The inquest continues.