A FARM labourer died almost instantly when his car crashed head-on with a van as he attempted to overtake a lorry on the outskirts of Wrexham, an inquest heard.

Nicholas John Done, 53, of Church Lane in Baranduin, Whitchurch, was travelling to work at a nearby dairy farm when the fatal collision occurred on the A525 near Bangor on Dee at around 4.40am on October 2 last year.

The inquest, held at Ruthin Coroner's Court, heard that the smash resulted in Mr Done's BMW Mini becoming engulfed in flames.

He was pronounced dead at the scene at about 5.30am with a post mortem later revealing that he had died before the fire had taken hold.

Mr Done, a widower and father-of-two, was attempting to overtake a Volvo articulated lorry when his car collided head-on with a grey Volkswagen Caddy van driven by Elliott Fogg.

The hearing was told that HGV drivers and colleagues Mateusz Gozdalski and Carl Wynne Hughes, who were travelling in convoy, stopped at the scene to try and help Mr Done and Mr Fogg, who were both trapped in their vehicles.

They were unable to release Mr Done from his car before it became engulfed by flames but did manage to help get Mr Fogg out of his van.

In a statement read out by John Gittins, Coroner for North Wales East and Central, Mr Fogg said there was nothing he could have done to avoid the collision.

He was on his way from Whitchurch to meet a friend in Peterborough for a fishing trip and had only been on the road "a matter of a few minutes".

Mr Fogg said: "The first thing I saw was a lorry coming. It had its headlights on. I honestly can't say what speed I was travelling at but there was no reason to think I was exceeding the limit.

"I saw the vehicle appear from behind it. It was suddenly facing me head on. I don't know if I had time to react, I just remember the impact."

He recalled two men trying to open the doors to his van but being unable to due to the damage caused by the collision.

Mr Fogg says he managed to get his leg free and kick his way out through the windscreen before being dragged on to the bonnet by Mr Gozdalski and Mr Wynne Hughes.

He added: "I saw the fire (Mr Done's vehicle) take hold. It was very fierce."

Mr Gittins also read out evidence from Mr Gozdalski who said he saw an unresponsive Mr Done slumped over the steering wheel and a fire developing inside.

He smashed the driver's side window but was unable to open the door.

Mr Gozdalski and his colleague were forced to back off as the flames grew.

The inquest heard that the lorry driver Mr Peberdy, who was travelling towards the West Midlands, stopped further up the road to check his vehicle due to the close proximity in which Mr Fogg had passed him, but was "unaware" that a collision had taken place.

Once he could see there was no damage to the lorry he continued on his journey.

Mr Gittins told the hearing that Mr Peberdy was investigated by police on suspicion of failing to stop or report an accident, but "no criminal proceedings were brought forward in connection with the matter".

Forensic collision investigator PC David Abernethy-Clark said in his evidence read out by the coroner that where Mr Peberdy had stopped his vehicle, which was further up after a bend in the road, it was "unlikely" that he would have had any view of the collision scene.

In terms of the smash, he said the hedgerows on the road would have restricted Mr Done's view ahead and his decision to take over in that position was "significant".

PC Abernethy-Clark added that Mr Fogg had no way of avoiding the collision.

Home Office pathologist Dr Brian Rodgers, who carried out the post mortem, said Mr Done would have lost consciousness as a result of the impact of the crash and died "almost immediately".

The medical cause of death was transection thoracic aorta – when a main artery is severed.

Mr Gittins concluded that Mr Done's death was the result of a road traffic collision.