The reason why a 34-year-old Braintree motorist lost control of his car on a sweeping bend, hit a tree and was killed might remain a mystery, a coroner was told last week.

No one witnessed the accident, but every tyre had the wrong pressure, while high cross-winds, a pool of roadside water and a dark night might also have been contributory factors.

Graham Stone, of Goldingham Drive, had been driving alone to see his mother in Felsted when his 1,300 Ford Fiesta slammed sideways into a mature tree near a left-hand bend on Main Road, Willows Green.

Mr Stone, who died in his vehicle, had not been wearing his seat belt and his air bag did not inflate.

Traffic officer PC Christopher Black said at the Chelmsford inquest on Wednesday that the car had spun anti-clockwise and the driver's door took the full brunt of the 40mph impact speed.

PC Black said that even if he had been wearing a belt and the air bag had inflated, they would only have been of use in a front-impact accident.

An examination of the tyres showed that the front pair were inflated to 46 and 41 pounds per square inch (psi), while the rear pair were both 11 psi, although the recommended figure for all four was 26 psi.

PC Black said that the overinflated front tyres would make steering feel "light", while the under-inflated back pair would lead to "under-steering" problems on bends, combining to make the car behave in an unpredictable manner.

Essex coroner Dr Malcolm Weir recorded a verdict of accidental death, saying that the exact reason why Mr Stone lost control remained a mystery.

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