A WOMAN died after losing control of her car which crashed into a brick wall, an inquest heard.

Margaret Letty from Lymington lost control of her Honda Jazz at the junction between South Grove and Grove Road in Lymington, Winchester Coroner’s Court heard.

The 85-year-old, of South Grove Road, died at the scene.

The court heard that Ms Letty, a widow, suffered from cardiac arrhythmia – abnormal heart rhythm – in the minutes leading up to the incident, causing her to lose consciousness.

Dr Eleanor Jaynes of Southampton General Hospital said the collision caused a tear in Ms Letty’s aorta in her heart, which led to bleeding.

However, she clarified that by the time this occurred it was likely Ms Letty had already lost significant cardiac output.

She gave the cause of death as due to multiple injuries caused by the collision, which in turn was caused by the arrhythmia.

Aaron Jenkins, who witnessed the collision on November 28, said: “The area is fairly quiet, with just a few cars passing by every hour.

“Suddenly the car drew my attention.

“I watched in disbelief as it hit the wall.

“I only saw the car as a blur for a split second before the crash occurred.”

Anthony Johnson, of Hampshire Constabulary, confirmed that they believed Ms Letty’s car had been travelling at around 30mph before the incident occurred.

Mr Short said it was clear that the car was not under Ms Letty’s control at the point of impact.

“She may have survived if she had not been driving at the time of the incident, I can’t be entirely certain,” he said.

He recorded a conclusion of accidental death caused by a road traffic collision.