AN INQUEST has heard how a grandmother and her five-year-old grandson died in a head-on car crash which also killed two other people.

Ned Jones and his grandmother Margaretta Jones, 77, both from Capel Bangor, lost their lives when the silver Vauxhall Agila they were travelling in collided head-on with a red Seat Leon on the A470 between Llangurig and Rhayader at around 11.40am on Good Friday, 25 March.

The driver of the Seat, Steve Alford, 57, survived the crash, but his two passengers, his mother, Vida Alford, 86, and wife, Gillian Alford, 58, from Brampton Bryan, near Ludlow, both died at the scene.

Ned was in reception class at Ysgol Gymraeg, Aberystwyth. His father, former Aberystwyth rugby player Bleddyn Jones and his mother, Sharon, both attended the inquest.

The hearing had to be adjourned for a short while after Mrs Jones was overcome with grief as crash investigator Sgt Shane Barry Davies gave evidence.

The inquest, held at Welshpool Magistrates’ Court on Friday, heard that the collision occurred when Mrs Jones’ car drifted onto the wrong side of the road and into the path of Mr Alford’s car.

It emerged at the inquest that Mrs Jones, who was travelling south towards­ the Elan Valley Visitor Centre, near Rhayader, had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2011 and was on a series of medications to treat the disease, but was cleared to drive by the DVLA.

Coroner Andrew Barkley said that while it was possible for the drugs she was taking to have caused her to lose consciousness and her car to drift onto the wrong side of the road, there was no evidence to suggest she was suffering any such side effects.

Eyewitness Andrew Price, who is from Aberystwyth and was travelling with his two sons and wife in the vehicle behind Mrs Jones, said there were no signs that Mrs Jones’ driving was compromised until the moment she drifted across the road.

“It wasn’t a swerve, it was more of a drift,” Mr Price told the inquest.

“There were no concerns prior to this. The silver car was being driven in a confident and sensible manner.

“At a gradual angle, it slowly drifted. I remember saying to myself, ‘turn, turn, turn’.”

Mr Price said that he didn’t recall seeing brake lights on Mrs Jones’ car immediately before the collision, but Sgt Davies said there was a faint tyre mark on the road matching Mrs Jones’ tyres, which may indicate Mrs Jones had applied the brakes and therefore may have been conscious at the moment of the collision.

Delivering a verdict of death by road traffic collision on all four deaths, Mr Barkley said: “It is difficult to comprehend a more deeply upsetting set of circumstances to deal with. We know that the vehicle being driven by Mrs Jones was seen to drift across onto the wrong side of the road.

“Sgt Davies found a faint mark on the road, which he attributes to some sort of evasive action.

“If that is right, that negates any suggestion Mrs Jones was unconscious at the time of the accident.

“Mrs Jones was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2011 and commenced on medication to slow down the progression of the disease, and informed the DVLA.

“It is known that these drugs can have the potential to cause the sudden onset of sleepiness, but there is no evidence that this has happened in her case.

“It is possible that the medication did play a part, but I am not going to speculate.”

If you have been distressed or disturbed by this report, you can ring the Samaritans on 08457 909090.