A PENSIONER died from an unsurvivable brain injury he sustained in a car accident on a country road in Cumbria after an airbag did not deploy, an inquest has heard.

Ronald Simpkins was aged 89 and a retired industrial chemist.

At around 5.20pm on 22 August this year, Mr Simpkins was travelling on the A685 in a blue Vauxhall Astra in the area of Grayrigg. He was a front seat passenger and his wife Jean, a retired laboratory assistant, was the driver.

Cockermouth Coroners’ Court heard details about their journey on Thursday, September 19.

These were outlined by Ms Margaret Taylor, assistant coroner for Cumbria, as she formally opened an inquest into Mr Simpkins’ death — two days after the crash.

“They had been travelling along a country road between Tebay and Kendal when the driver of a vehicle behind appeared to be wanting to overtake,” stated Ms Taylor.“ Jean moved to the left and struck the verge hard, at approximately 30mph, causing the vehicle to spin around. The driver’s airbag deployed but the passenger airbag did not.

Initially Mr Simpkins, of Yarm, North Yorkshire, had seemed fine and was able to get out of the car. His wife contacted the ambulance service and they were taken to the Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal.

“Ronald became increasingly agitated and he was transferred to the Royal Lancaster Infirmary,” said the coroner.

An urgent CT scan showed an acute brain bleed. “It was clear that Ronald had sustained an unsurvivable brain injury and this is what led to his death on 24 August,” said Ms Taylor.

The coroner had been offered a cause of death due to pneumonia, extensive subdural haemorrhage, with a secondary cause of dementia, frailty and old age, and ischaemic heart disease.

“In view of the circumstances in which Ronald sustained his injury, which led to his death, it will be necessary for there to be an inquest,” Ms Taylor concluded.

The hearing was adjourned until 6 February next year. Pending the completion of all enquiries, a full inquest is due to take place on that date.