A 79-YEAR-OLD woman who died in a car crash on the A303 near Mere is believed to have fallen asleep at the wheel, an inquest has heard.

Christine Wileman’s black Toyota Yaris collided head on with a black Mercedes at Charnage on August 21, 2016.

Salisbury Coroner’s Court heard yesterday that Mrs Wileman was driving towards Andover at around 2.55pm when she failed to negotiate a left-hand bend, crossed into the opposite carriage way and hit the oncoming car.

Mrs Wileman, from West Malling in Kent, died at the scene while the couple in the Mercedes and their 12-year-old son were taken to Salisbury District Hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

The court heard Mrs Wileman’s car had been seen drifting across the middle of the road moments before it then went in a straight line and crashed into the Mercedes.

Collision investigator PC Sharon Little said there were no skid marks or gouge marks on the road to suggest Mrs Wileman had braked.

She added the time of day and circumstances of the collision were consistent with research findings into sleep-related vehicle accidents which found that they are more likely to occur under monotonous driving conditions and between 2pm and 4pm when drivers, particularly those over the age of 60, are naturally more sleepy.

The court heard Mrs Wileman had recently had a CT scan that showed she had had a minor stroke, but doctors were not sure when and she was due to be seen again within two months.

A post-mortem showed the retired secretary died from multiple injuries and there was no evidence she had experienced a medical episode. It was a dry day, and there was nothing wrong with either car.

Coroner Claire Balysz recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision saying the time it happened, the circumstances of the collision and the age of Mrs Wileman suggested she had fallen asleep at the wheel.

She said: “While driving, slumped forward on the accelerator, she lost control of the car which collided with the oncoming Mercedes on the A303 at Charnage Hill near Mere. This is substantiated by the lack of marks on the road. There was nothing the oncoming driver could do to avoid the collision.”