A YOUNG woman died trying to avoid an oncoming car while overtaking a slow-moving van, an inquest heard.

Georgina Mannings was driving westbound along a rural B-road near Funtington, north west of Chichester, when her car veered through a copse of trees and crashed into the back of a 26-ton lorry parked in a lay-by.

The 22-year-old, of Old Rectory Close in Emsworth, was left with a fatal head injury after an impact described as “horrendous” at the inquest into her death yesterday.

Her 24-year-old boyfriend Mark Davey, from Gosport, Hampshire, was in the front passenger seat while her brother in the back seat was left in hospital with life-changing leg and back injuries.

Witness Guy Batey was driving in the opposite direction on the B2146 on August 14 last year when he saw Georgina’s silver VW Polo saloon move on to his side of the road about 300 yards ahead of him.

He told the inquest at Centenary House in Worthing how the Polo “performed a dramatic manoeuvre” in pulling out and then veered back over, flashing through the trees that separate the lay-by from the road.

The driver of the DAF lorry parked in the lay-by was about to buckle up and pull away after a break when he heard a bang behind him and felt his cab rock.

He told the occupants to stay still while he summoned help.

Mr Batey, who pulled over , ran over and also dialled 999 when he saw the lorry driver.

The inquest heard how Georgina had not been drinking or taking drugs, and had no contributing medical issues.

There were no mechanical defects with her car and all were wearing seatbelts.

The court also heard that, before the crash at 2.15pm, it was wet and overcast.

A post mortem examination found Georgina died from a blunt head injury.

Assistant coroner Martin Milward said: “She attempted to conduct an overtaking manoeuvre.

“We cannot be certain as to why Georgina attempted this … but we can see that tragically in attempting to avoid a collision with a vehicle she has lost control and suffered a fatal impact.”

He recorded a conclusion that her death was due to a road traffic collision.

Police officer Stuart Medleycott told the inquest: “Miss Mannings has either failed to look or not taken sufficient time to look.

“In conclusion the cause of this collision is in the actions of Miss Manning.”

After the inquest, Georgina’s father Richard Mannings told The Argus: “It’s just really tragic.”