THE death of a mother of two whose car ploughed into a tree was a tragic accident, an inquest heard.

Shelagh Lunt, of Chipping Road, Chaigley, was driving her Rover 400 towards Gisburn on July 9 when she crossed the carriageway and smashed into the tree.

The inquest was told the force of the impact lifted the car, swinging it 90 degrees to the left.

The 44-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene from multiple injuries caused when the steering wheel went into her chest.

PC Brendan Kellett, of the accident investigation unit, described as an expert witness by Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley coroner Michael Singleton, said his investigations found there to be no defects with the vehicle or with the road. The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said Mrs Lunt had applied the brakes moments before impact but the collision with the tree was unavoidable.

He said the cause of the crash was either due to a momentary lapse of concentration or a deliberate act.

Shelagh's husband Ian Lunt, who was working in Ireland at the time of the crash, told the inquest that his wife had suffered from depression in the past although had shown no signs recently.

He said she had quit her job as a catering manager at a sorting office just weeks before the accident after trouble with some colleagues.

He said she had not left a note and if she was to take her own life she would not have worn a seat belt and would have driven faster.

Mr Singleton agreed that the circumstances of the accident did not point to a suicide.