A GRAPHIC designer took her own life after a friend borrowed her uninsured car and hit a cyclist – leaving her with £26,000 of debt. Samantha Ewen was found dead by her parents after struggling with the debt following the accident, an inquest into her death heard. The 39-year-old, described as “bubbly and hardworking” killed […]
A GRAPHIC designer took her own life after a friend borrowed her uninsured car and hit a cyclist – leaving her with £26,000 of debt.
Samantha Ewen was found dead by her parents after struggling with the debt following the accident, an inquest into her death heard.
The 39-year-old, described as “bubbly and hardworking” killed herself at her home in Hull, in October 2019.
She had left several notes for police and her family, in which she explained she had been sent a high court writ following the crash in 2015.
She said she had no idea about the accident, but had been issued a claim for £26,000.
One note said, Hull Daily Mail reports: “I became out of my depth. I am sorry for the mess I have left you with, this was my mistake. I love you all to the moon and back.”
A statement from her mother read out to the inquest said: “Growing up, Samantha was a very happy, bubbly and social girl.
“She learnt languages with ease and when we moved to South Africa she picked up the Afrikaans language. She has the South African way of making a plan to find a solution. She was very good in that mindset and was a hard worker.”
Ms Ewen had sought medication for depression in the past, but her family said she had been happy.
She had set up a graphic design company in 2010, which saw her working for NHS Trusts across the country.
But she had struggled with money after client payments dropped, and had been forced to borrow from her parents.
And in her suicide notes, Ms Ewen said she had not kept up to date with tax returns.
Her parents tragically found her body on October 26, after arriving at her house and seeing a note warning them what they would find inside.
Humberside Police officer Hayley Browne told the inquest there were no suspicious circumstances or third party involvement in her death.
Coroner Rosemary Baxter said: “Samantha had been in fact struggling with life in the months before her death. She was struggling financially and she felt she was a failure.
“Her death was a pre-planned act and her many problems overcame her at the end and the notes she left at the scene determined her life was taken deliberately by her own hand.”
If you are affected by any of the issues raised in this article, please call the Samaritans on (free) 116123
