TRAGEDY struck when a man driving home to give his mother an urgent lift to hospital to see his father died after he crashed into a tree.

Simon Peter George, of Tremlow Avenue, Higher Heath near Whitchurch, died at the scene after his car spun and hit a tree on the A529 near Adderley Lodge Farm, close to Market Drayton on October 20.

An inquest at Shirehall in Shrewsbury heard how van driver Peter Popovic told in a statement that a blue Ford Focus had passed him "quickly although safely" at an estimated speed of around 80mph shortly before the collision.

Shortly afterwards, Mr Popovic arrived at the scene of the collision – he did not see the crash but there were no other vehicles at the scene.

Coroner's officer Michael Caesar-Homden told the inquest that a doctor who was travelling on the A529 stopped a short time afterwards to see if he could help, but formed the opinion that Mr George, 46, had died.

He had been on his way to pick up his mother after his father was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford after reportedly having a seizure.

A vehicle investigation found there were no defects in the car that would have contributed to the collision – and an investigation of the scene found that the crash happened after Mr George failed to negotiate a right hand bend, spinning on a gravel area.

A post-mortem examination revealed that Mr George had sustained head and neck injuries in the crash.

Senior coroner John Ellery said that Mr George had been "going home as quickly as he could" to pick his mother up so he could follow the ambulance.

"It was this ambulance with his father in which came across this collision scene," he added.

Mr Ellery added that he did not apportion any blame, but it did appear that Mr George 2was trying to get home as soon as possible," having gone onto the gravel drive of Adderley Lodge and tragically lost control.

He concluded the cause of death was a road traffic collision.