A 90-year-old motorist and his wife both died after he failed to negotiate a left hand bend and crashed into an oak tree on the other side of the road just miles from their home near Coleford, a coroner was told last week.

Assistant Gloucestershire Coroner Roland Wooderson concluded that Christopher Barton-Eckett and his wife, 83-year-old wife, Mavis, of Cedar Way, Mile End, died as a result of a road traffic collision on the A4136 at Worrall Hill near the English Bicknor and Lydbrook junction on October 5 last year.

The Gloucester inquest was told it was not known why Mr Barton-Eckett did not follow the road around to the left but instead went straight on, over the road and over the verge into the tree.

The couple were in a Skoda Fabia driven by Mr Barton-Eckett with his wife in the front passenger seat when the crash happened at about 4pm on October 5.

Mrs Barton-Eckett died at the scene despite the efforts of emergency services to save her.

Mr Barton-Ecketts was taken to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, but died eight days later.

His death was due to pneumonia caused by multiple rib and cervical spine fractures.

A pathologist’s report on Mrs Barton-Eckett said she died from chest and abdominal injuries.

Police collision investigator PC Ed Jarvis stated that the car was ‘not travelling very quickly’ at the time of the collision and it appeared it had just continued on a straight path instead of taking the left hand bend.

It went across the far side of the road and was in the undergrowth and approaching the tree for only one second before impact.

There was no evidence Mr Barton-Eckett was intoxicated or otherwise incapacitated and the officer had considered whether it was possible he had been distracted by something, the statement said.

However, he added, it was unlikely Mr Barton-Eckett and his wife would have failed to notice the branches, saplings and vegetation the car hit before the final impact.

“It should have been obvious to the occupants that they had left the carriageway but Mr Barton-Eckett would have had insufficient time to take avoiding action,” he added.

“There was a distinct lack of driver input.

The cause of this is unclear but the collision clearly did result from his failure to negotiate the left hand bend.”

The inquest heard that no mechanical defect or failure was found during examination of the Skoda.

The coroner said: “Why Mr Barton-Eckett left the carriageway is something of a mystery.

“The exact trigger for these tragic events is unclear.

“The collision resulted from his failure to negotiate the left hand bend on the A4136. Sadly that led to his and his wife’s deaths. “