Mystery surrounds the death of a New Forest man killed when his car hit a trailer on the A31.

Southampton Coroner’s Court heard how Ross Lipsett’s silver BMW crashed into the back of a
Skandia trailer parked in a layby on the westbound dual carriageway near Ringwood.

The car ended up 75 yards further along the road at Poulner Hill on the other side of the road.

The 53-year old warehouse worker from Anson Close, Poulner, near Ringwood, died from head and chest injuries at Southampton General Hospital.

At his inquest in Southampton, police forensics investigations officer Antony Johnson said the BMW had sustained “colossal damage”.

“This collision occurred as a result of the BMW entering the layby for reasons that can’t be indentified and then colliding with the trailer and ended with tragic results,” Mr Johnson said.

The driver’s airbags had been deployed but Mr Lipsett was not wearing his seatbelt at the time of the accident which took place in the early hours of October 16 last year.

The BMW’s “substantially” underinflated tyres should not have contributed to what
happened because the accident happened on a straight stretch of road.

One street lamp was lit up in the lay-by on the otherwise dark section of road and Mr Johnson
added that Mr Lipsett should not have confused the layby with the entrance to a slip road.

The only thing the driver of the Italian-registered Skandia, which was carrying forklift trucks, knew about the accident was feeling the impact of the crash while he was asleep in the cab.

There was no alcohol in Mr Lipsett’s blood at the time of the accident.

Southampton coroner Keith Wiseman said Mr Lipsett was “not a man who was in good health at the time of his death”, adding he had been in a state of distress in the previous 24 hours about a motoring matter involving his daughter.“

This was a very unusual collision and the state of health of Mr Lipsett was in the 24 hours
beforehand must lead to consideration of whether he had deliberately rammed his car into the stationary lorry and in doing so he was intending to take his own life,” said Mr Wiseman.

There was nothing else to suggest Mr Lipsett had deliberately driven into the lorry and he recorded an open verdict.