Romanian tourist’s ‘dreams were shattered’ by Westminster attack

All of Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea’s “dreams were shattered” when she was caught up in the Westminster terror attack, an inquest has heard.

The 31-year-old died from her injuries after she was thrown into the Thames as she walked across Westminster Bridge with her boyfriend, Andrei Burnaz, on March 22 last year.

Her family, some of whom followed proceedings from the British Embassy in Bucharest, paid tribute to Ms Cristea on what would have been her 33rd birthday in an audio recording played in court.

She was described as a “lovely, enchanting and life-loving” woman, who had a thriving interior design business.

The statement from her family included a note from Ms Cristea, which was written on her final New Year’s Eve in which she told of her hopes for the coming year.

“The year 2017 will be the best of my life,” she wrote.

She hoped she would be “happy, cheerful and jovial”, have a successful business and buy a new house, which she planned on decorating.

“I will have a wonderful man by my side, who will love and cherish me and with this man I will start a wonderful family,” the note said.

Her family said they had been “hoping for a miracle” when she was in hospital following the attack and told of their “heartbreakingly sad” loss when she died two weeks later.

“All her dreams were shattered when she went on her final trip to England, London, and she suddenly became the victim of the Westminster terror attacks,” their statement said.

“It is awful and heartbreakingly painful. The pain we felt and feel now cannot be expressed in words.”