Wolverhampton husband seen driving erratically before crash that killed his wife
An elderly driver was lost and driving erratically in the moments before a crash which ultimately killed his wife, an inquest heard.
Frank and Cadwalader Fleming, of Hyperion Drive, Penn, Wolverhampton, had been travelling to Staples in Kidderminster on December 10 last year when their car crossed onto the opposite side of the A456 Birmingham Road near Blakedown.
The car's wing-mirror glanced off one car before the couple's Honda smashed almost head on with a Ford Fiesta, the inquest heard.
Mrs Fleming, aged 88, was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham where she died 20 days later.
A witness, who had been behind Mr Fleming, said he had been driving erratically and was so concerned he considered calling the police.
Jonathan Smith, at teacher at King Charles I School in Kidderminster, was a passenger in the Ford Fiesta involved in the crash.
He said: "As we were leaving Blakedown I saw a vehicle moving across onto our side of the road.
"I thought to myself 'that is odd'. I know that point on the road is not in an overtaking zone.
"About 10 seconds before the crash I said 'what is that person doing' and it became clear to me after another five seconds that we were going to collide.
"It appeared to me the car had not seen the bend and had carried on in a straight trajectory.
"Two to three seconds before the crash I closed my eyes and braced myself."
Both Mr Smith and the Fiesta's driver were able to climb out by the passenger's door.
Mr Smith added Mr Fleming's car had ended up around 20 metres further up the road.
The collision investigator in the case found no skid marks on the road to indicate why the car has crossed onto the other side of the road.
Mr Fleming told the inquest at Stourport he had a felt a 'bump' in the seconds before the crash.
He said: "I was driving not too fast as I was looking for directions.
"Then there was a bump as if I had hit a pothole. We swerved over to the right and I don't know what happened next.
"The next thing I knew there was a man at my window talking to me."
Mrs Fleming, a retired secretary, died on December 30.
Her medical cause of death was given as respiratory failure and pneumonia caused by multiple traumas with liver lacerations, as a consequence of the crash.
Coroner Geraint Williams, concluded it had been an accidental death.
He said: "This was a very tragic accident. You certainly did not intend to lose control of the car or to crash. On any analysis that is an accident."
