The mother of 18-year-old car crash victim Lauren Wiltshire has told an inquest of the last moments she saw her daughter.

Lauren, from Stockton and a Binswood Sixth Form pupil, died while driving on the Fosse Way after being in collision with another car at around 1.10am on January 11.

The inquest at Leamington town hall on Thursday heard that Lauren was on her way to Leamington to collect her boyfriend when the accident happened.

Recording his verdict, coroner Tom Leeper described Lauren's death as a "tragic accident" and offered her family his sincerest condolences.

During the hearing Zena Stuart explained that her daughter returned home from her part time job at Asda on January 10 between 10.30pm and 11pm.

Mrs Stuart said: "I dozed off but I think I heard her on her phone to her boyfriend Tom Scott.

"He was out in Leamington - Lauren always used to run around after him and pick him up because he could not drive."

Mrs Stuart said Lauren had a disagreement with her boyfriend during the telephone conversation but her daughter wanted to be "left alone" when asked if she was alright.

Lauren then walked to Mr Scott's house to get his spare key before returning home to pick up her Citroen Saxo so she could collect him from the town.

Mrs Stuart said: "Her and Tom were always having little tiffs but she didn't run up the road she just wandered off.

"My husband Lloyd saw her walking back down the road and she drove off quite calmly.

"That was the last we saw of her."

Mrs Stuart was told there had been a road traffic accident around 5am.

Accident investigator Pc Dean Spencer told the inquest a Volkswagon Golf travelling along the Fosse Way towards Princethorpe hit Lauren's car as it crossed the carriageway at the Long Itchington junction.

He said: "The Citroen turned into the path of the Volkswagon - the driver was left with little or no time to react. Ultimately the fate of the Citroen lay in the hands of it's driver."

The Citroen was found lying on its side with the passenger side crushed.

Lauren had been wearing a seat belt, there were no defects on either car and neither excess speed nor alcohol was involved.

Commenting on the findings, Mrs Stuart said: "I sit at the junction quite a lot looking down the road and think she just misjudged the speed of the car."

Pc Spencer said the damage would have been "considerably worse" had the Volkswagon been travelling at more than 60 mph.

Summing up, Mr Leeper said it was not known why Lauren had driven over the giveway sign at the junction.

He said it could be due to "driver error" or because she stalled in the middle of the junction.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, he said Lauren died of spinal cord and internal injuries.