Sarah Evelyn May Hughes was driving home from Withybush Hospital when she died in a collision on the A40 in Pembrokeshire
The crash happened on the A40 near Treffgarne in Pembrokeshire(Image: Google)
An 88-year-old woman died after she veered her car onto the wrong side of the A40 in Pembrokeshire and crashed head-on into another vehicle while on her way back from the hospital, an inquest heard.
Sarah Evelyn May Hughes, from Goodwick, took her sister to Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest on the afternoon of April 11 last year. On the way home – travelling north on the A40 away from Haverfordwest – her Citroen C3 crashed into an Audi A1.
Emergency services were called but despite their best efforts Mrs Hughes was pronounced dead at the scene. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter.
An inquest into her death, held at County Hall in Haverfordwest, heard there was no evidence Mrs Hughes was feeling unwell in the run-up to the crash and she was described as “an active and capable driver”.
The incident happened at around 12.40pm when the Citroen “entered the opposing carriageway whilst negotiating a gradual left-hand bend” before crashing into the Audi.
The inquest heard the collision happened “within the Audi’s lane of travel”.
Road conditions on the day of the crash were described as “dry”, visibility was described as “good”, and a forensic investigation found no evidence of braking, evasive steering, or loss-of-control tyre marks prior to impact.
Furthermore no pre-existing mechanical defects that could have contributed to the collision were found.
A toxicology report noted Mrs Hughes had no significant alcohol, illicit drug, or medications in her body and only “therapeutic levels of paracetamol”.
A post-mortem examination confirmed she died of multiple traumatic injuries including “bilateral rib fractures, bilateral haemothoraces, trauma to the heart with pericardial injury, and a lacerated spleen”.
The medical cause of death was recorded as 1A: multiple injuries and 1B: road traffic collision.
Concluding the inquest Gareth Lewis, senior coroner for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire, said: “I find that Sarah Evelyn May Hughes died on April 11, 2025, on the A40 near Treffgarne, Pembrokeshire, as a result of multiple injuries sustained when the vehicle she was driving crossed into the opposite carriageway and collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle.
“The precise reason why her vehicle entered the opposing lane cannot be established on the evidence.
“However the collision investigation excluded mechanical failure, environmental causes, intoxication, and any identified medical emergency.
“The deceased therefore died as a consequence of an unintended road traffic collision.”
Mr Lewis recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision in relation to Mrs Hughes’s death.
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