A mother was killed after the car driven by her daughter inexplicably swerved off a motorway and crashed into a ditch, an inquest has heard.

Margaret Rainey died at Frimley Park Hospital four days after the crash, which happened on the M3 near Fleet Services just after 3pm on September 13.

The 89-year-old was suffer-ing from angina and cancer, but the injuries she sustained in the 70mph smash were responsible for her death, coroner Andrew Bradley concluded.

Mrs Rainey was being driven to her daughter Julie Chandler’s home in Yateley when the Audi A6 estate car careered across three lanes, a slip road and the hard shoulder before disappearing into a deep ditch.

Mrs Chandler, 55, said she had no memory of the incident.
The car hit a tree and rolled, travelling more than 100 yards before coming to a halt on its side.

Brian Knight was driving his daughter and her family from Whitchurch to Gatwick Airport when he saw the crash.

Mr Knight told the inquest he was in the middle lane when he was overtaken by Mrs Chandler’s Audi.

“As it passed me it came in front of me but then it just kept on going,” Mr Knight told the inquest.

“It went straight across the road and down the bank. There was no barrier so they went straight over the edge.”

Mr Knight’s son-in-law, Michael Crapper, said he did not see the crash but saw a “cloud of dust” where the Audi had been.

“The roof was slightly caved in and lots of windows were smashed,” Mr Crapper told the inquest.

“We approached the car and saw Julie at the bottom of the car and Marjorie was at the top, effectively suspended in the air.”

Mr Crapper reached through the broken windows to support Mrs Rainey’s weight, to prevent her from hanging herself from her seatbelt.

Despite being trapped at the bottom of the car wreck, Mrs Chandler didn’t seem worried for her own safety, but asked if others were involved, and spoke of her concern for her mother’s health, Mr Crapper told the inquiry.

A Highways Agency patrol stopped within minutes and called emergency services.

Four fire engines were at the scene within ten minutes, followed by a helicopter ambulance.

Giving evidence, Mrs Chan-dler said her memory of the accident was non-existent.

“I can’t see how I could have driven off the road,” she told the inquest. “I wasn’t doing anything other than driving.

“When I picked mum up she was not very talkative because she had not been well. I asked her what she wanted for tea.”

Although Mrs Chandler had been on medication for stress, and said she had been very tired, she had no history of blackouts or losing conscious-ness, she told the inquest.

“I remember going past the junction for Hook,” she said. “I remember thinking: ‘Good, I’m almost home.’ The next thing I am on the side of the car and the window is gone and there is just earth there.”

Mrs Chandler thanked Mr Crapper for coming to her aid.

“I can’t say how grateful I am to this gentleman for coming to help,” she said. “I was thinking how am I going to get mum out of this car?”

Police crash investigator Antony Johnson said there was no evidence Mrs Chandler had braked or reacted in any way before disappearing off the edge of the embankment.

Sitting at Basingstoke Coro-ner’s Court last Tuesday, Mr Bradley recorded a verdict of accidental death.
 
The coroner and Mrs Rainey’s family praised the actions of the family who pulled over to help.

“Thank you for what you did that day,” Mr Bradley told Mr Crapper. “What you did was sincerely appreciated and it is important that is recognised.”