A court heard today how a motorist battled heroically in an attempt to try and save a father-of-three trapped in a burning car.

Lorne Craig, a service engineer from Crook, was travelling along the A689 at Wynyard towards the A19 when he spotted flames coming from under the bonnet of a car, which was on the grass verge and had appeared to hit a road-sign.

He told Teesside Coroner's Court: "I got a fire extinguisher from the back of my car and tried to put out the flames.

"As I did so the passenger door opened and a young man fell out. I pulled him away from the car and he was a bit dazed and confused. However a few minutes later he was shouting "Lee get out of the car".

I was unsuccessful in extinguishing the flames and when I realised I was not going to e able to put the fire out I put the window of the driver's door through, but the driver was just sat there, there was no movement.

"As the flames entered the cabin of the car the driver's door would not open, so I stuck my head in the window, but he was not alive."

The driver of the car Lee Smith, 34, a manager at Bar Aruba in Stockton, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, which occurred at around 6am on October 15 last year.

It is known whether he had been speeding as the car was so badly burned, but it is believed he had failed to negotiate a bend.

Pathologist Dr James Sunter told the court the post mortem showed Mr Smith had died of multiple injuries.

He said: "His injuries were consistent with a frontal impact in high speed collision. He died instantly and before the fire, which started after the crash.

"There was a moderate degree of intoxication."

Assistant deputy coroner Anthony Eastwood recorded a verdict of accident.