A teenager died after crashing into two cars.

Stuart Coe, 19, was driving along Saddlescombe Road, Brighton, on November 28 last year when he lost control and hit two cars travelling in the opposite direction.

An inquest heard yesterdayhis car veered left then right before hitting a Ford Mondeo with a glancing blow, spinning violently and then ploughing into a Volvo estate.

Mr Coe's Citroen Saxo was almost destroyed by the second impact.

Former nurse Pauline Weir was driving to Devil's Dyke Golf Club with her husband when they came across the crash.

Mrs Weir told the hearing at Brighton Magistrates Court: "I couldn't find a pulse and he wasn't breathing."

She managed to revive the teenager using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and kept him alive until an ambulance crew arrived.

Despite Mrs Weir's efforts, Mr Coe died a few hours later at the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton.

The other drivers suffered only minor injuries.

Consultant pathologist Dr Neera Patel said Mr Coe died of multiple chest injuries.

She said blood tests found no traces of alcohol or drugs.

Mr Coe, of Whitelot Way, Southwick, worked at Tate's Citroen garage in Portslade and was helping sales executive Timothy Wells pick up a car when the accident happened.

Both men drove to Pyecombe where Mr Wells took possession of a Citroen C5. Mr Coe followed behind on the journey back to Portslade.

Mr Wells told the inquest conditions on the road were frosty.

Road traffic accident investigator PC Albert Mariner said although Mr Coe was not speeding he was probably driving too fast for the cold and damp conditions.

He also said the teenager's inexperience as a driver could have contributed to the crash.

Assistant deputy coroner Dr Matthew Orde recorded a verdict of accidental death.