'Devoted' mother died in fall from Snowdon's Crib Goch, inquest hears

‘Devoted’ mother-of-two died in fall from Snowdon’s Crib Goch while out hiking with her partner after they got lost looking for infinity pool they had seen on TikTok, inquest hears

• Victoria Naomi Luck was a special educational needs teacher and a keen walker
• The 47-year-old, from Wolverhampton, passed away on December 19, 2021
• She fell 150ft while out hiking in Wales with her partner Matthew Radnor
• The inquest into the death of ‘caring’ Ms Luck was held in Caernarfon today

A ‘devoted’ mother-of-two tragically died in a 150ft fall from Snowdon’s Crib Goch after getting lost hiking with her partner in search of the Snowdonia infinity pool in Wales.

Victoria Naomi Luck, a special educational needs teacher from Wolverhampton, passed away on December 19, 2021, following her fall while out hiking with her partner Matthew Radnor.

As an early Christmas present, he had taken her away for a weekend trip to Betws-y-Coed because she had expressed an interest in visiting the famous infinity pool near the Llanberis Pass after seeing it on TikTok.

The inquest into the 47-year-old’s death was held in Caernarfon today.

It heard how Mr Radnor and Ms Luck – a keen walker described as an ‘energetic, healthy, active person’ – were climbing the mountain with their dog Louis when they got lost.

Victoria Naomi Luck – a keen walker described as an ‘energetic, healthy, active person’ – was climbing the mountain with her partner Matthew Radnor and their dog Louis when they got lost

Ms Luck, a special educational needs teacher from Wolverhampton, passed away on December 19, 2021, following her fall from Snowdon’s Crib Goch (pictured)

The ‘caring and talented’ mother-of-two tragically died in a 150ft fall after getting lost in search of the Snowdonia infinity pool (pictured) in Wales

They decided to descend the mountain in different directions in an attempt to find their way down, with Mr Radnor taking a route that 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.’

The inquest also 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 Ms Luck climbed down into a gully and told him she would carry on walking down that way while he and Louis went to find an easier route.

Mr Radnor said the couple’s dog Louis was clever. ‘I started shouting and he knew something was up,’ he said. ‘He was looking down the mountain with a concerned look on his face. He knew something was wrong.’

Mr Radnor’s shouts for help alerted other walkers in the area to the incident. Shortly after, a coastguard rescue helicopter from Caernarfon and Llanberis mountain rescuers (Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team pictured) arrived at the scene. Ms Luck was put on board the aircraft but sadly died from her multiple injuries shortly before 3pm

Within a few minutes, he said he heard Ms 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.’

He continued: ‘Louis 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’s shouts for help alerted other walkers in the area to the incident. 

Shortly after, a coastguard rescue helicopter from Caernarfon and Llanberis mountain rescuers arrived at the scene.

Ms Luck was put on board the aircraft but sadly died from her multiple injuries shortly before 3pm.

As an early Christmas present, Mr Radnor had taken Ms Luck away for a weekend trip to Betws-y-Coed after she had expressed an interest in visiting the famous infinity pool (pictured) near the Llanberis Pass

The couple decided to descend the mountain (Snowdon pictured) in different directions in an attempt to find their way down, with Mr Radnor taking a route that was easier for their dog to walk down

Assistant senior coroner for North West Wales, Sarah Riley, ruled that Ms 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.’

Following her death, Ms 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.’

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