A MOTHER-of-two was probably distracted by her ringing mobile phone when she was killed in a road accident, her inquest heard.

Charlotte Hull, 29, lost control of her silver Volkswagen while going through a junction about half a mile from her house without slowing down, and smashed into a ditch.

She had just kissed her fiancé goodbye and was on her way to the gym when the crash happened just after 5.30pm at the junction of Yapton Road and the A259, Climping, on February 4.

Yesterday (Tuesday) her inquest at Worthing Coroner's Court heard her phone showed a missed call about three minutes before calls were made by other drivers to emergency services.

Investigating officer PC Iain Lumbard said he could not find anything wrong with the car or the road, and witnesses said she seemed to go through the junction without her brake lights coming on or slowing down.

PC Lumbard continued: "She failed to slow for a junction that she would have been aware of given where she lived, but for an unknown reason has failed to react on this occasion.

"In my opinion on the balance of probabilities a ringing mobile phone would have been the distraction that caused her failure to react.

"Having entered the A259 she strayed to the right and has lost directional control on the grass verge."

It was not clear at what speed she was driving along the 50mph-hour road; she was not wearing a seatbelt; and there were no drugs or alcohol in her system, the inquest heard

PC Lumbard said that while there had been other accidents at the junction, they were mostly shunts and safety improvements were not needed.

Miss Hull's fiance, Jake Pile, with whom she had two children, Harry, eight, and Joey, ten, said that on the day of her death they had both come home after work before she went to the gym.

He said: "It was brilliant because it meant we could have dinner together; normally we are like ships passing in the night.

"She ran me a bath and I went to get into it and kissed her goodbye.

"I looked out of the front of the house and saw her getting into her car. That was the last time I saw her."

Ms Hull died from asphyxia after being thrown out of the passenger window into the water-logged ditch, the inquest heard.

Karen Henderson, assistant chief coroner, recorded a verdict of accidental death.