A FATHER-OF-THREE who died when his car was involved in a head-on rush-hour collision with a coach may have been taken ill at the wheel, an inquest was told.

Martyn Tattersall died when his blue Seat Leon collided with a National Express coach on the A19 Easingwold bypass, in April.

The 50-year-old guest house owner was returning home to York, following a day out with friends at Redcar races, yesterday’s inquest at County Hall, Northallerton, was told.

Mr Tattersall suffered multiple injuries, including head injuries, said pathologist Dr David Scoones, who carried out a post-mortem examination.

Coach driver Glenda McCurdey told the hearing how she saw Mr Tattersall’s car coming straight toward her Newcastle-bound bus.

She said: “I braked and moved over to the nearside of the road. The impact was full-on, on the driver’s side of the coach. The windscreen shattered.”

Traffic Constable Stephen Kirkbright, who investigated the collision, said he was convinced that Mr Tattersall had not been attempting an overtaking manoeuvre and that he had braked in the moments before the collision.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Michael Oakley said the most likely explanation was that Mr Tattersall, whose family described him as a “loving husband, father, son and brother”, had suffered a medical episode while driving.

He added: “There was absolutely nothing the coach driver could have done to avoid the collision, she did all she could to mitigate it.”

:: Another hearing was told how an experienced biker, who died after being hit by a car coming the opposite way around a bend in the road, was in too high a gear to easily negotiate the bend.

Peter Drury, from Driffield, East Yorkshire, died after his Honda motorcycle was in collision with a Kia Sorrento towing a caravan, on the B1257, between Stokesley and Helmsley, in April.

Mr Drury’s friend Steve Ingleson, who was riding with him at the time, described him as a “fantastic” rider, who never took risks.

A post-mortem examination found the 62-year-old died from head injuries.

Mr Oakley, who recorded a verdict of accidental death, said: “Unfortunately, it has been a misjudgement on the part of Mr Drury that has led to the collision.”