A man who tried to avoid a crash was killed when he veered into the path of oncoming traffic and was hit by another car.

Father-of-three George Florin Holban was driving towards Bishop Auckland, County Durham, on the A688 on the morning of September 5 last year, an inquest into his death heard last week.

He was coming towards the Auckland Park roundabout when traffic in front of him slowed suddenly.

The inquest, at Crook Coroners Court, heard the 35-year-old tried to brake but swerved into oncoming traffic and was hit by another car, sending his Nissan Juke skidding more than 60 metres.

Mr Holban, who was born in Romania and working as a delivery driver in the North East, suffered fatal injuries was pronounced dead at the scene.

He had swerved to avoid an Audi Q5 directly in front of him. The inquest heard the driver of the Audi saw him failing to slow down in her mirror and braced for impact.

She said: “I looked in my rear-view mirror and I could see the dark coloured Nissan Juke directly behind me wasn’t slowing for the traffic. I had to brake quite sharply.

“As it got closer I thought there was no way the Juke could stop in time and I braced myself.

“I saw the Juke braking and all of a sudden [it] veered over the white lines into the oncoming lane where it was immediately hit by another vehicle travelling in the opposite direction.”

The Northern Echo: The approximate area of the incident on the A688, just North of the Auckland Park roundabout.The approximate area of the incident on the A688, just North of the Auckland Park roundabout. (Image: GOOGLE)

Mr Holban’s car was sent into a full 180 degree turn and skidded 61 metres up the road after it was hit by the car – a Saab 9-3 – coming in the opposite direction.

The driver of the Saab, said: “I noticed suddenly the Nissan pull out from the slowing traffic.

“All that came to my head was ‘what the f***!?’.

“I had a matter of four or five seconds to put my brakes on. I can’t recall the impact, but I remember seeing the Nissan in front of me.

“I recall being sat in the car dazed.

“I could see smoke coming from my bonnet. I started to panic, pressing my seat belt to get out but felt like I had forgotten how to open a door. I felt trapped.”

He was then helped from his car while other drivers went to help Mr Holban. One of those was a woman who was travelling in the opposite direction.

The Northern Echo: An inquest took place at Crook Coroners Court last week.An inquest took place at Crook Coroners Court last week. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

She rushed to try and help him but found his head “slumped” and him “bleeding”, the inquest heard.

PC Shaun Martin, a forensic collision investigator who analysed the incident, said there were no mechanical issues with the cars or physical issues with the road surface which could have caused the crash. Visibility and driving conditions were also said to be good at the time.

A toxicologist found no alcohol or drugs in Mr Holban’s system.

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Police analysed two mobile phones he had in the car and found neither had been being used at the time of the crash or just before.

The inquest concluded Mr Holban died because of a road traffic collision.

Senior Coroner Jeremy Chipperfield said: “The traffic ahead of him slowed and for reasons that are unknown he failed to notice that immediately. Despite braking hard he veered into the oncoming lane colliding with another car suffered fatal injuries. My conclusion will be that his death was a road traffic collision.”

Mr Holban’s family previously paid tribute to him as a “much-loved husband and father”.

In a statement, his family said: "It is with deepest regret that we announce the death of George Florin Holban who was involved in a tragic road traffic collision on the A688.

"He was a much-loved husband and father to three gorgeous children and will be sadly missed.”