MOTORISTS battled to save the victims of a fatal crash on the A35 near Dorchester on Good Friday, an inquest was told.

Elderly couple John and Vienne Bradbury were driving from their home in Tunbridge Wells to see family in Devon when the crash happened, an inquest at Dorchester Coroner’s Court was told.

Witnesses described the red Citroen Berlingo, driven by Mr Bradbury, pulling out of a layby near Monkey’s Jump roundabout into the path of a 25-tonne bin lorry.

The 74-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene and his wife spent three weeks in hospital with serious injuries.

The couple had been married for more than 50 years and have three children, the inquest was told.

In a statement Mrs Bradbury said she has no memory of the crash.

She said: “I recall waking up sitting outside the car and thinking we must have had an accident.

“John was sitting in the driver’s seat and I called out to him but he didn’t reply.

“I think about the lorry driver and I hope he is coming to terms with what happened that day.”

Vincent Ealson, from Portland, a lorry driver for West Dorset District Council, said he was travelling at about 40mph when the Bradburys’ car pulled out into his path.

He said: “I tried to swerve but I had no time at all and I collided with the side of the car just by the driver’s door.

“It just pulled straight out – it was instant.”

Forensic collision investigator PC Andrew Gold said there were marks on the road that showed Mr Ealson had reacted as soon as he could and applied emergency braking and tried to steer away from the Bradbury’s car.

He said that from the position of the cars it appeared that Mr Bradbury had been trying to do a u-turn.

Motorist Gerald Wooltorton told the inquest that he and his wife tried to save Mr Bradbury but he was unresponsive.

He said: “It was a huge impact. Bits of dust and pieces of the vehicles flew through the air.

“My wife, who is a trained nurse, got into the car and performed a heart massage but it looked like the driver had already passed away.”

A statement read at the inquest said other motorists stopped at the scene to help the couple, including Ian Gill, an off-duty police officer, who got Mrs Bradbury out of her vehicle because she was crushed and could not breathe.

Dorset coroner Sherriff Payne commended the officer’s actions and said there could have been a very different outcome if he had not rescued her from the car.

Mr Payne said: “Mr Bradbury suddenly pulled out in front of the lorry with no opportunity for the driver to avoid colliding. We have no idea why he carried out this manoeuvre and failed to see the white truck coming towards him.”

He recorded a verdict that Mr Bradbury died as a result of an accident on the road.

‘A Huge Impact’

AT the time of the accident the Echo reported the details of the tragic incident.

The Dorset Police helicopter attended the incident along with ambulance crews and Dorset Fire and Rescue Service.

A Dorset Police spokesman said the driver of the car, with his wife as a passenger, had pulled into the large layby on the westbound carriageway.

He said: “Members of the public said the Citroen Berlingo only stopped a short while before it pulled away in what appeared to be a U-turn type manoeuvre.

“Unfortunately it left the layby directly into the path of a refuse lorry travelling on the A35 towards Bridport. There was a huge impact between the two vehicles.”