Coroner Edward King ruled that P.c. Stephen Symons "acted against the expressed warning of his superiors" when he attempted to cross the Causeway during the worst of Hurricane Fabian, last year.

Family and friends of the two Police officers and two civilians who were swept to their deaths in the storm gathered yesterday at Magistrates' Court to hear evidence surrounding the events of September 5.

In addition to P.c. Symons, P.c. Nicole O'Connor, Police civilian worker Gladys Saunders and stone mason Manuel Pacheco died during the storm.

Police officers, firefighters, doctors and those who were the last to see or speak with the deceased were among 18 witnesses who pieced together the events surrounding the incident.

Mr. King advised the inquest at the start of the witnesses statements that this was not a "mini-trial".

"This is for me to determine how, when, where and who met his death, simple as that," he said.

"I'm not interested in pointing fingers ... this is not a place for finding evidence for further criminal or civil proceedings."

Pathologist Dr. Kered James then presented a report that was prepared by pathologist Dr. Ian Graham on September 8. The exam concluded that P.c. Symons, whose body was recovered, died due to drowning.

Several Police officers, including Sgt. Devonish Small, said in court that with the impending arrival of Hurricane Fabian, they were instructed to stay at their respective stations unless it was a "dire" emergency.

P.c. Eulene Nurse told the court she was in charge of C-watch at St. George's Police station during the extended 12-hour shift on September 5.

She briefed the officers on duty just before 2 p.m. and assigned P.c. Symons to work with P.c. O'Connor.

However, duty station officer Gladys Saunders had just come off her shift and although, according to Sgt. Small, she had been offered a place to stay at the Police barrack, she wanted to return to her Hamilton Parish home.

P.c. Nurse said she had seen P.c. Symons, P.c. O'Connor and Mrs. Saunders get into a marked Police vehicle, but they ignored her calls to return to the station, she told the inquest, reading from a prepared statement of September 11.

P.c. Symons contacted Police operations via radio several minutes after leaving the station to inform them that his vehicle, along with a civilian's vehicle, were stalled on the Causeway and they would need a tow truck.

Both P.c. Nurse and duty station officer P.c. Linda Meinzer spoke with P.c. Symons on his cellular phone while the trio was stranded on the Causeway.

In court yesterday, Ms Meinzer requested Coroner's Officer Insp. Phil Taylor to read her statement as she could barely make it through being sworn in to give evidence without crying.

P.c. Symons had told Ms Meinzer prior to leaving the station that a fellow officer had successfully made it across the bridge just minutes earlier, so he should be able to make it as well.

She added that while on the phone, P.c. Symons reported poor visibility all along the vital East End link, and that their Police cruiser was filling up with water. Shortly thereafter, P.c. Symons' cell phone went dead. Ms Meinzer attempted to re-establish communications with P.c. Symons, as well as with P.c. O'Connor and Mrs. Saunders.

In her statement read to the inquest yesterday, Ms Meinzer is quoted as saying: "I hold the Bermuda Police Service responsible. At no time did anyone tell us that the storm had arrived and we were experiencing hurricane conditions."

Police constable Ian Moe was also on duty in St. George's and had earlier declined to take Mrs. Saunders home to Duck's Puddle Drive.

Yesterday, he said he felt "frustrated" and "helpless" when he was not allowed to go out and help the stranded trio.

Two of the last people to see the victims were Myron Furbert and Campbell Burrows, who eventually made it safely across. Mr. Furbert, heading west, eventually abandoned his car on the bridge and walked to the Blue Hole Hill side of the Causeway while Mr. Burrows, heading into St. George's, was able to make it to safety.

Mr. Burrows said: "I'm sorry I was not of better help but they told me they were OK."

Attempts to reach the four stranded people were made by several firefighters on both sides of the Causeway but conditions were so dangerous that one firefighter sustained a broken hand after being flung by the wind and waves.

The body of P.c. Symons was eventually recovered near the oil docks in St. George's on September 7 by ferry captain Joseph Bailey. The bodies of P.c. O'Connor, Mrs. Saunders and Mr. Pacheco were never recovered. However Coroner King ruled that they had also died due to drowning.

He said: "It is crystal clear, regardless of how humanitarian his (P.c. Symons') actions were, that he acted against the expressed warnings of his superiors. If he had have obeyed them he would not have had his car stalled."

But he said, "that was what divine providence had designed for the four".