Emma Bundy had been attending an event at Sandy Park in Exeter
Emma Bundy pictured in 2022 when she spoke of being an apprentice assistant site manager(Image: Roy Riley)
A kind young woman died at a Xmas party when she fell from a pedestrian overbridge next to a rugby ground after a drunken row with her boyfriend.
Emma Bundy had clambered over the safety rails on the A379 pedestrian bridge at Sandy Park in Exeter, Devon, and a stranger tried to save her from falling from height onto the dual carriageway below.
An inquest at Exeter Coroner’s Court heard that Emma, an assistant site manager with Bovis Homes, had been at the Sandy Park conference venue – home of Exeter Chiefs rugby club – for a works Xmas party at the end of January 2025.
The inquest heard Emma, who was born in Colchester, had a drunken row with her boyfriend over something a work colleague had said to her and had run off towards the bridge.
Motorist George Harris was waiting to pick up his daughter who was working at the event when he saw distressed Emma heading near the bridge with her boyfriend Billy Fleming running after her.
Emma Bundy pictured in 2022 when she spoke of being an apprentice assistant site manager(Image: Roy Riley)
Mr Harris said Mr Fleming returned alone and was ‘dismissive’ towards him when he asked if Emma was okay, saying that Billy described her ‘off her head’.
Mr Harris heard Emma crying and walked towards her and spotted her ‘hanging by her hands with her legs off the side’ of the bridge.
He dialled 999 and said Emma was ‘hysterical, crying and screaming’ and he grabbed her wrists and told her to ‘please hang on’.
He held her for two to three minutes but ‘Emma was not making any sense’ and she slipped from his grip and plunged to the main road below.
Emma, who was happy after moving in with Mr Fleming seven months before in Barnstaple, Devon, died from chest and neck wounds.
Her brother Shane said she was ‘beautiful, kind and popular’ and loved the healthy life and was in a happy relationship with Mr Fleming.
But he said two glasses of wine made her drunk and Mr Fleming tended to walk away if she had taken alcohol because it caused arguments.
A work colleague said the delayed Xmas works party was held at the Exeter Chiefs conference centre at Sandy Park on January 31st 2025.
She said Emma ‘looked amazing and was hard to miss’ as she transformed from Tomboy in hard hat and hi-vis work clothes into a ‘girlie’ in a red dress.
But just before midnight Emma was upset and crying and very drunk in the toilets and referred to someone who ‘could be so mean’.
Mr Fleming said Emma had drunk two bottles of white wine at the black tie event and she ‘could not cope with alcohol’.
He said Emma had had a conversation with a man at the do and Mr Fleming had walked away because of something that was said – and Emma and he ended up having a row and she swung her handbag at his chin.
He had returned to their hotel room after he left Emma by the bridge but police turned up later to tell him what had happened.
Mr Fleming said he loved Emma saying she was ‘beautiful, kind hearted and would move mountains for anyone’.
Police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding her death which followed a domestic argument.
Toxicology tests showed that Emma was 2.5 times the legal drink drive limit when she died – and her intoxication affected her poor judgement and decision making.
The senior Devon coroner Philip Spinney recorded an accidental death conclusion.
He said: “She did not intentionally end her life. She was trying to stop herself from falling. It is unclear how she came to be on the wrong side of the safety barriers and was trying to stop herself falling.
“She was upset at something a work colleague had said earlier that evening.”
He said Emma had drunk a large amount of alcohol and only argued with her partner after drinking.
Mr Spinney said: “It is more likely than not she acted impulsively and did not intend to end her life, this was a tragic accident.”
In 2022, Emma featured in a story on DevonLive celebrating International Women’s Day. Her achievements in the construction industry were praised.
At the time, she was said to be an apprentice assistant site manager at Vistry South West, which builds properties for Bovis Homes and Linden Homes. She was living with her mum and their dog, Cleo, and told of how she previously overcome homelessness and was a carer for her mum.
She said: “I feel very lucky to finally be at this stage in my life as it’s been a real struggle. My mum and I were homeless for two years and I was desperate to turn things around but I had no idea what I wanted to do.
“I’d worked as a delivery driver, a maintenance manager at a holiday park and a painter and I was keen to do as many courses as possible – anything that opened doors for me. I undertook a plastering apprenticeship and achieved an NVQ level two qualification but it was challenging as I had to wake at 5am each morning to walk to the train station.
“One teacher, Grant Johnson, kindly told me about an eight week bricklaying course where I met Vistry’s CEO, Greg Fitzgerald – who started as an apprentice – and it really spurred me on. I was delighted when an apprenticeship opened up at Vistry and grabbed it with both hands.”
She spoke of how ‘brilliant’ her job was and being grateful to be in the industry.
Emma, who said in her spare time she enjoyed running, walking, going to the gym and tinkering with her car, added: “In terms of career progression, I’m keen to keep earning qualifications and stay in the company, although one day it may be nice to work abroad.
“As a female, I have seen bias. I was once told by a teacher that I’d never do as much as a guy but that encouraged me to prove him wrong and I will continue to support other women to challenge these misconceptions. I’ve received lots of praise now I’m on site, which I wasn’t expecting, and it’s good to be in a safe, supportive environment.”