The pastor who passed away at the Big Church Festival died from multiple severe injuries when a wooden arch fell on him, an inquest has heard.
Robert Guanco, who served at Jesus the Living Water Church in Eastbourne, East Sussex, died at the Christian festival on 28 August.
An inquest opening at Woodvale Coroner’s Court in Brighton on Wednesday heard that a post-mortem examination gave a provisional cause of death as “1a multiple severe injuries and 1b blunt force trauma”.
Six other people were injured when the arch, which read “Everything's Unmissable”, fell during strong winds. Four were taken to hospital for treatment.
Speaking after the hearing to the BBC, Guanco’s widow, Isaeli, said she hoped establishing what happened would “help us grieve” and “prevent other families going through the same thing”.
“Suddenly losing Robert has been a huge challenge - I've gone from planning our daughter's birthday party a few weeks ago to organising his funeral.
“It brings a deep pain to my heart.”
The 41-year-old's funeral took place at a church in Eastbourne on Friday, with several people in his congregation describing him as "a beautiful soul who touched our lives profoundly".
Guanco’s death prompted an outpouring of support from Christians, with hundreds of people responding to the GoFundMe campaign, which has now raised more than £243,000.
The future of the festival is unknown with the charity responsible for organising the festival facing significant financial challenges.
Last week, Big Church Festival organisers said refunds could not be guaranteed because of the multi-million-pound costs of staging the event, adding that their thoughts and prayers remained with Pastor Guanco’s family ahead of his funeral.
Area Coroner Joseph Turner offered his “sincere condolences” to the family and adjourned the inquest until a pre-inquest review on 9 March.
The health and safety investigation into the incident is continuing, with Horsham District Council leading inquiries into what happened.
A council spokesperson said: “A number of lines of inquiry are still being pursued.”