A PUTLEY man died following a car crash at the Trumpet crossroads, an inquest heard.

Jason Smart, 27, was on his way to work as a fork-lift driver when the accident occurred at 7am on Monday, September 23.

The head-on collision involved Mr Smart's silver Ford Orion and a red BMW.

Mr Smart was trapped in the wreckage of his car, and the BMW, powered by LPG, caught fire.

Passers-by, who had stopped to help, attempted to keep the flames under control using a fire extinguisher to try and protect Mr Smart.

But by the time the fire brigade had made the vehicles safe enough for paramedics to get to Mr Smart he was already dead from multiple injuries.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, deputy coroner Mark Bricknell said: "Jason Smart was a young man in the prime of his life getting off to work on a Monday morning, sadly his life was cut short. We don't know what caused him to lose control."

The coroner described the BMW driver, Stephen Jenkins from Northwich, as blameless.

He continued: "Sadly we are left with a conclusion that Jason did lose control of his vehicle for one reason or another. He left Mr Jenkins little chance to avoid a collision."