Couple died in head-on crash on wrong side of road

A married couple died when their car went on to the opposite side of the road and crashed with an oncoming car, an inquest has found.

Peter and Kathleen Darby, who were both 69 and from Scoulton, near Watton, Norfolk, were on the B1108 at Bodney on 14 January when, for reasons unknown, their Renault Kadjar went into the path of a Range Rover.

Norfolk area coroner Samantha Goward heard Mr Darby had a "significant" heart condition but it could not be determined whether he had experienced a medical episode at the wheel.

The coroner's court in Norwich heard there was no time for the driver of the Range Rover to take evasive action before he was seriously injured in the impact.

Mr Darby, a retired carpenter and former magistrate, had had a course of chemotherapy for his leukaemia in December and also took medication for high blood pressure and diabetes.

In a statement, Denise Darby, one of the couple's four daughters, said he had not mentioned feeling unwell when she had seen him that morning.

She had considered him a "very safe, confident and competent driver", who would not drive if he was in any doubt about his health.

The crash happened on the Watton-bound carriageway at 13:15 GMT, with Mr and Mrs Darby, a teacher, confirmed dead at the scene.

Other drivers on the road called 999, with Peter Benn, the driver of the Range Rover, airlifted to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.

The court heard he did not remember the crash, with his first recollections that of a man speaking to him through his car window, and being taken in the helicopter.

He then remembered waking up in hospital and being told he had a collapsed lung.

The inquest heard witnesses describe a Range Rover being driven dangerously and erratically before the crash, but it was established from CCTV footage that the car was not the one involved in the collision.

The driver was contacted by police but no statement taken as it would not have contributed to the investigation, the court was told.

Ms Goward said there was no indication Mr Benn was driving in anything other than a safe and sensible manner.

In her statement to the court, Ms Darby said the couple "adored" spending with family, including their seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

"The hole they have left is entirely unimaginable; to lose both parents in an instant was the worst thing in the world," she said.

Ms Goward recorded a conclusion of death by road traffic collision.

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