Medical student died after car crashed into 42-tonne lorry on Shropshire's A41, inquest told

Raviram Ramesh, 22, from Bristol, was driving near Weston Heath when his Citroen C3 drifted into the path of an oncoming articulated lorry, an inquest heard.

Yesterday Mr John Ellery, the coroner for Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin, heard that eye witnesses had reported driving conditions on the stretch of road had been perfect when the accident happened on June 17.

Collision investigator PC Nick Stafford from West Mercia Police told the inquest that there had been no apparent reason why the accident had occurred.

He said, however, that it was clear from marks on the road that the Citroen had drifted in to the path of the Scania lorry which was travelling towards Newport.

The inquest heard the driver of the HGV, a foreign national who was not at the hearing, had no alcohol in his system and had not used his phone at the time of the crash.

A drugs swipe was also carried out by police and proved negative.

PC Stafford said: "Prior to the impact the Citroen had been travelling towards Tong and the Scania was going to Newport. The lorry was in the correct lane.

"The Citroen then crashed into it and the lorry driver would not have had any control of his vehicle.

"The lorry had been travelling at about 53mph at the time of the impact and there were no mechanical issues with either vehicle."

PC Stafford added: "The main impact was in the lane in the direction of Newport.

"The Scania was travelling correctly and, for an unknown reason, the Citroen veered into the incorrect traffic lane.

"It was not a sharp turn but I was not able to ascertain what caused the vehicle to do so. For an unknown reason it happened.

"If there were no eye witnesses, my conclusion would have been the same."

In summing up, Mr Ellery said: "We know that the Scania was travelling along the A41 and all evidence is that it was on the right side of the road.

"Travelling towards that was Mr Ramesh.

"We can exclude mobile phones, drugs or alcohol from the cause of the accident."

Mr Ellery said: "We do not know why the crash occurred but for an unknown reason Mr Ramesh's vehicle drifted in to the path of the HGV."

Mr Ellery concluded that Mr Ramesh's death was the result of a road traffic collision.

Mr Ramesh, a former Bristol Grammar School prefect, was a medical student at Cardiff University.