A retired nurse died in a road smash as she drove home after spending the day with her grandchildren, an inquest has been told.

Widow Elizabeth Dutfield, 78, of School Hill, Findon Valley, was trying to cross the northbound dual carriageway of the A24 near West Grinstead in her Hyundai Amica car.

She was trying to get on to the southbound carriageway to head home to Findon when the accident happened on March 30.

Helen Senneck, of Bewbush, Crawley, was driving her Fiat Tipo on the northbound carriageway after a pub lunch with friends in Ashington.

A statement from Mrs Senneck, who still cannot walk unaided following the smash, was read out to the inquest.

She said she had overtaken several cars on the dual carriageway and was in the outside lane travelling at about 70mph when she suddenly saw Mrs Dutfield's car in front of her.

She could see the driver's door and Mrs Dutfield appeared to be staring straight ahead. Second later she collided with the side of Mrs Dutfield's vehicle.

The statement said: "I knew I couldn't go around it. Everything happened so quickly. I braked very, very hard and thought to myself, 'This is going to hurt,' and braced myself."

She recalls being trapped in the vehicle but blacked out.

Mrs Dutfield died from multiple injuries at the scene. Mrs Senneck's injuries left her in hospital for five days.

PC Simon Lane, of Shoreham traffic police, said it would have been Mrs Dutfield's responsibility to give way to traffic.

West Sussex Coroner Roger Stone recorded a verdict of accidental death.