A labourer spent almost a year and a half in a coma before finally dying as a result of a road crash.
Louis Cruttenden, 19, of Battle Road, Hailsham, lost control of his Honda Civic on the A267 outside Horam, on January 20, 2006.
He crashed into an oncoming Peugeot 406 and was taken to Eastbourne District General Hospital.
He died at the Raphael Brain Injury Rehabilitation Hospital in Tonbridge, Kent, more than 16 months later.
Police said they were baffled as to why the accident occurred, although another driver had crashed into a tree on the same bend just two days before.
PC Mark Hill, of Sussex Police's forensic collision investigation and reconstruction unit, told an inquest in Eastbourne that the road fell "well within safety limits", with chevrons in place to tell drivers to slow down at the bend.
Mr Cruttenden had not been speeding, he said, but had mysteriously lost control of his car.
David Cruttenden, the labourer's father, said: "Only Louis will ever know how it happened.
"I just want to say thank you to the police, ambulance and all the doctors and nurses who worked so hard to save him.
"Those nurses in intensive care saved my life.
"They were incredible to me and my family."
Melvin Dumsday, of Nursery Road, Heathfield, the driver of the Peugeot, told the inquest he had been travelling home from his daughter's house at about 11.30am when the accident happened.
He had just entered the 60mph-limit road and negotiated the first bend at Sharp's Corner when he saw the blue Honda Civic coming towards him.
Mr Dumsday said: "It came around the corner and straight across the road in front of me.
"Automatically I hit the brakes but there was no way I could stop in time."
His Peugeot hit the centre of the Honda, which slid into a grass verge.
Other motorists who stopped telephoned the emergency services.
Mr Dumsday escaped with minor injuries.
Mr Cruttenden was taken to hospital suffering serious head and abdominal injuries.
He underwent emergency surgery but never recovered.
He was transferred to the Hurstwood Park Neurological Centre in Haywards Heath, and was taken to Kent three months later.
Doctors said he remained in a coma until his death in intensive care on May 30 last year.
East Sussex deputy coroner Joanna Pratt recorded a verdict of accidental death yesterday.
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