An 80-year-old woman died after the car in which she was a passenger turned directly into the path of a farmer’s pick-up and trailer on the A59 near Bolton Abbey, an inquest heard.

The elderly woman driver may have been making a U-turn after taking the wrong exit off the Bolton Abbey roundabout.

Driver Margaret Trickett and passenger Margaret Taylor had been having lunch with friends at Bolton Abbey and at around 2.30pm on September 14 last year were on their way home, the Skipton inquest was told.

Mrs Trickett turned right off the A59 towards the entrance of a field and straight into the path of farming brothers, Douglas and Peter Addyman, who were on their way home from Clitheroe Market with a trailer load of 29 sheep.

Driver Douglas, who was not wearing a seatbelt, and Peter, who was, were initially stuck in the Toyota pick-up and had to be helped out of the windows by people in the following cars.

Mrs Taylor died, probably instantly, from multiple injuries, while Mrs Trickett was taken to hospital by air ambulance with critical injuries.

Douglas Addyman said he was travelling at no more than 40mph because of the sheep and the approaching roundabout.

He told the inquest he had braked, but could do nothing to avoid the impact. His pick-up hit the passenger side of the small white car – a Volkswagen hatchback which was pushed forward by the force of the impact and into a drystone wall.

Mr Addyman said the pick-up’s airbags went off on impact and the resulting smoke made him think the car was about to go up in flames.

Witnesses travelling behind remembered seeing the car turning and said a collision with the pick-up was unavoidable.

Derek Tetley, travelling immediately behind the Addymans, described seeing the car turn right “suddenly” and for “no reason” and how the farmer had no chance to avoid it.

A police accident investigator’s report said how it had not been possible to establish why Mrs Trickett had made the turn because she was still in hospital.

There had been no faults with either of the cars and it suggested that Mrs Trickett may have been attempting a U-turn.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Rob Turnbull said it would probably never be known why Mrs Trickett had made the turn off the A59. He said there was nothing Mr Addyman could have done to avoid the collision and that Mrs Taylor had died as a result of the manoeuvre taken by Mrs Trickett.