Staff Reporter
A BRITISH expat on his way to a new life in Spain died when his car veered onto the wrong side of the road and hit another vehicle, a coroner has ruled.
Pensioner Peter Crossland, from Wakefield, West Yorkshire, had been on his way to catch a ferry just weeks after Christmas when he was involved in the accident, an inquest heard yesterday.
The 76-year-old died at the scene after he crossed on to the other side of the A3052 road in east Devon in January 2017, the hearing at Exeter’s County Hall was told.
The driver of the other vehicle, a pharmacist from Devon, also later passed away.
Ex-wife Maureen Crossland said he was heading to Spain to live with a friend because he wanted to get away from the cold English weather.
She said his death was ‘sad and untimely’.
The inquest heard that the tragedy occurred on the road between Three Horseshoes and Branscombe Cross at around 6.15pm on January 20 that year.
These included a significant head injury, the hearing was told.
The driver of the vehicle he collided with was 53-year-old Andrew Clargo, who lived in Colyton.
He worked as a pharmacist at Lewis Pharmacy in Exmouth and had a son, Matt, who is a doctor.
A witness told the inquest: “I looked forward and the car in front (Crossland’s) kinked left to the near side and its wheels mounted the verge and I thought it would roll.
“It bounced back and landed quote viciously on the ground and veered across into the oncoming path of the car coming from the opposite direction.”
He added: “The point it went onto the verge it did seem to speed up.”
The incident was captured on dashcam footage which confirmed his statement.
