A DRIVER who died with his wife in a 100mph A64 accident may simply not have seen the lorry with which his small car crashed, an inquest heard.

Thomas Tolson, 75, and his wife, Mavis, 69, died instantly when the silver Volkswagen Polo he was driving crashed head-on into a 27-tonne lorry as they overtook another vehicle on the A64, near Stockton-on-the-Forest.

The collision, which experts believe involved a combined speed of more than 100mph, catapulted the small car 55 metres into a ditch and scattered debris across the single-lane carriageway.

The lorry's tachograph revealed that experienced HGV driver Andrew Garbutt, of Huby, near Easingwold, had been travelling at 53mph only seconds before the fatal crash, close to the Highwayman Caf.

His rigid goods lorry, owned by Thompson's of Jubilee Farm, Murton, near York, was travelling 13 mph above the 40 mph limit for that class of vehicle on the busy main road.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, York coroner Donald Coverdale said that although the lorry was bright red and visibility was excellent, Mr Tolson, of Outwood, near Wakefield, may have "simply failed" to see it.

He said: "I cannot decipher the fact that the closing speeds of these vehicles was in excess of 100 mph. That gave very little time for either driver to take evasive action.

"There's nothing more that Mr Garbutt could have done to avoid this tragic accident.

"The excess speed could've contributed to the outcome of this accident, but had he been driving at the correct speed I'm quite satisfied that the outcome would have been the same, namely this inquest. It's been a terrible road traffic accident."

The accident, which occurred at about 4pm on August 1 last year, blocked the A64 for four hours causing traffic chaos for thousands of drivers across the city.

Traffic Constable David Foster said the Polo's high-tech electric speedometer was frozen at 58 mph because the sudden impact obliterated the car's battery.

He said a detailed investigation of tyre skid marks, road gouges caused by the crash and the vehicles themselves had revealed their positions at the time of the accident.

The Polo, which did not appear to have braked or swerved to avoid the lorry, collided with the front offside of the lorry after crossing the centre of the road, possibly to overtake.

Colin Baxter, of Malton, who was driving behind the Polo at the time of the crash, told the inquest that he saw it move to the far side of the road to overtake a white box van.

He said: "Mr Garbutt tried his best to get out of the way, but those things do not pull up very quick. It all happened very quickly."

Updated: 11:37 Friday, August 23, 2002