Distracted teenager died when she drove head-on into lorry

The 17-year-old – who had only passed her test about six months before the fatal accident – was driving from her parents' house in Market Drayton towards Loggerheads when she drifted into the opposite carriageway and hit the Renault truck.

Her Suzuki Alto car was extensively damaged and came to rest on a grass verge off the road.

Despite the best efforts of other motorists and the emergency services, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

An inquest into her death heard one theory was that she may have been distracted by her mobile phone.

Stoke-on-Trent Coroner's Court in Hartshill, was told student Georgia had been working at a stud farm on Sunday, November 26 last year.

She then went to see her boyfriend, Ethan Bagnall, before returning to her parents' home in Tern View, Market Drayton.

But she left the address after her parents went to bed and was driving on the A53 in the direction of Loggerheads when her car started to drift.

The vehicle was completely in the other carriageway when it struck the front of the HGV.

Truck driver, Daniel Bell, of Carlisle, had just 0.7 seconds to react and was cleared of any blame.

In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Bell said: "I was coming to an S-bend. The road was heading to the left, then to the right. As I was coming through the first part of the bend I could see headlights coming from the opposite direction. The car was 50 yards away from me when I realised it was starting to drift towards me. I started to brake.

“The vehicle did not change course and kept coming towards me, crossing over the centre white line into my lane. The car hit the middle of my cab. There was an almighty thud."

Paramedics

Mr Bell immediately went to the Suzuki and comforted Georgia and told her the emergency services were on their way.

Other motorists, including an army medic, police officers and paramedics tried to resuscitate the teenager but she was pronounced dead at the scene at 11.06pm.

Consultant pathologist Dr Hiam Ali, who carried out a post mortem examination, gave the cause of death as multiple injuries.

The inquest heard Georgia's phone was flung from her car and was found on the roadside two-and-a-half weeks later by her parents. An examination showed seven instances of data coming in and out of her phone between 10.29.39 and 10.31.55 - less than a minute before the call was made to emergency services. They were not calls but instant messages such as WhatsApp, SnapChat or social media.

PC Andrew Talbot, of Staffordshire Police's serious collision investigation unit, told the inquest: "Her telephone was in use up to a minute of the collision. We can't say whether the phone was in the holder or whether she was using it in her hand."

Assistant coroner David James concluded Georgia died as a result of a road traffic collision.

Mr James said: "There was nothing Mr Bell could have done, in my view, beyond what he did do. There was just 0.7 of a second for someone to take evasive action.

"It is my opinion that Georgia was distracted. I know we can't be 100 per cent certain, I do not need to be because I can see no other reason for it.

"It just emphasises to road users how even the most momentary distraction on a perfectly easy road to drive can result in such a catastrophe so quickly.

"It doesn't matter whether they are in a good mood or bad mood or they are 17 or 77, the momentary distraction of phone usage can so easily lead to such tragic consequences.

"There is no evidence to suggest any defect, no evidence to suggest loss of control, no evidence to suggest a lack of driving experience - from the evidence of her father she had driven at least 6,000 miles in that vehicle."