AN inquest into the death of a 33-year-old Clehonger man who died when his car slammed sideways into the path of an oncoming van, failed to pinpoint why he lost control on a road he knew like the back of his hand.

The county coroner expressed his sadness to the parents of Derek Edward Francis Whittington of Oak Crescent, Clehonger, that they will never know exactly why their son's grey Peugeot crossed the centre line and into disaster on October 14, last year.

In returning a verdict of accidental death, Coroner David Halpern said: "It's something that happens from time to time and, sadly, people like you are left wondering what happened. In some cases the Police, despite all their expert knowledge, cannot tell us why someone's vehicle ended up going across the road."

Mr Whittington died of multiple injuries minutes after the back end of his car crashed into a Leyland Daf van at McIntyre's bend, on the B4349 Hereford - Clehonger Road, just before 10am on a Sunday morning. The near side of his car was pushed 80cm towards the off-side in the impact, crushing half the width of the vehicle.

The inquest heard how Mr Whittington drove along the Hereford - Clehonger Road up to four times a day and knew McIntyre's bend - a locally-known danger spot - intimately.

Driver of the Daf van, Herbert Griffiths of Hillview House, Madley said: "The car was already out of control when I first saw it.

"It just followed round, the rear end coming around towards my vehicle as it careered through the corner into my path."

Witness Jacqueline Clarke, who passed Mr Whittington's car in the opposite direction as he approached the bend from the direction of Hereford, told the inquest her thought at the time was that the Peugeot was going too fast to make the bend.

Police accident investigator, PC Nigel Phillips said evidence from the crash scene showed the Peugeot was out of control and sliding sideways in the oncoming lane when the collision occurred.

He calculated the van was doing 36 mph when it happened but, in the absence of skidmarks, could not tell what speed the Peugeot was doing.