AN UNCHARACTERISTIC manoeuvre by a usually careful Test Valley pensioner led to her death, an inquest has heard.

June Stallard was driving along the B3049 between Stockbridge and Winchester on the morning of Wednesday, October 14 when she collided with another car head on after attempting an ill-fated overtake of the vehicle in front of her.

The 69-year old’s blue Suzuki Wagon R was travelling towards Stockbridge when it was in collision with a silver Volkswagen Golf coming in the opposite direction.

Mrs Stallard, of Abbots Ann, sustained multiple injuries as a result of the crash and died shortly afterwards at the scene.

Pathologist Dr Adnam Al Badri told the inquest: “Although some of the injuries were not extensive, if you put them all together they would be non-survivable.”

The inquest heard it was a clear and sunny day with light traffic, and that Mrs Stallard was in front of a line of cars following behind a Peugeot being driven by Andrew Smart.

On reaching the top of the hill by Crawley Forest, when Mr Smart continued at about 40-45 mph, Mrs Stallard appeared to, according to other witnesses to the incident, move to overtake.

The driver of the VW Golf, Andrew Mealing from Old Sarum, told the inquest he saw that she appeared to be out on the lines as if she were looking to overtake.

“I naturally eased off the accelerator, thinking ahead, waiting to see if the oncoming car was going to continue or pull back in,” he said in his statement read out at the inquest.

“I thought they can’t possibly overtake and I continued to slow down as the gap between us started to close.

“I realised they were now out across the central lines and overtaking, I braked, then her car was right in front of me.

“The collision was unavoidable and the cars crashed together.”

He added: “I thought they might pull back in but they didn’t at all.”

Travelling behind Mrs Stallard’s car was Susan Flawith, from Palestine, near Andover, who said: “I never saw the Golf, but the blue car suddenly braked and went to the left, then for some reason it went back into the right hand lane.

“My impression was that she was in control of the car, turned left, then for some reason felt that she couldn’t and turned into the right hand lane.”

“Mrs Stallard overtook at the very top of the hill where you have before the rise, I have driven that way since and after the hill you have a clear view.”

Another witness, Heather Main, said in her statement: “The blue car suddenly poked its nose out, then it pulled back in.

“I could see the other car still coming, then the blue car went out again, this time fully onto the other side of the road as if to overtake the car in front.

“The oncoming car could do nothing to avoid the blue car.

“It didn’t matter what speed the other car was doing it was still going to collide.

“I was flabbergasted, I just could not understand why the blue car had gone out again.

“When I first saw it go out and then come back in I thought ‘thank goodness’.

I could not believe the car was going out again.”

Coroner Grahame Short said: “The balance of probabilities suggest that she was attempting an overtaking manoeuvre when she pulled out into the east side of the road.

“I say that because she had no other reason for her to have been on that side of the road.

“I accept his evidence that he braked then tried taking evasive action.

Although the airbag was inflated and June was wearing a seatbelt she suffered multiple injuries.

“I accept that she may not have been aware of the Golf when she pulled out.

“At some point she did realise and tried to move back but she was too close to the Peugeot at that point.

“Sadly June received extreme injuries and she died at the scene.

“For the purposes of this inquest I’m going to say that June Stallard died as a result of multiple injuries.

“I’m going to conclude her death was due to a road traffic collision.”