A York couple died after their car crashed into a truck while they were on holiday in Canada.
Vicki Atkinson, 63, and Steve Atkinson, 61, died at the scene after the SUV they were driving collided with the semi-trailer truck on Highway 95 in British Columbia.
An inquest into their deaths was held at Northallerton today.
North Yorkshire coroner Jon Heath said he had received a report compiled by his equivalent in British Columbia, Roderick Manson.
That said emergency services were despatched to the incident on on 27 October 2022, on Highway 95 about ten miles south of the town of Golden.
Mrs Atkinson had been driving, and Mr Atkinson was the passenger. Highway 95 was a straight, single-carriageway road, with a speed limit of 100kmph (62mph).
The collision happened in daylight. The weather was overcast and the road surface dry with no obstructions.
Mr and Mrs Atkinson’s car was travelling north “when it crossed the yellow dividing line into the path of a southbound vehicle,” Mr Heath said.
Location of the crash
After hitting the truck, their car spun off the road. The couple were declared dead at the scene.
A report about the collision posted at the time by Royal Canadian Mounted Police said: “An SUV lost control of their vehicle while travelling northbound on Highway 95 S and collided head-on with a transport truck heading south.
“The vehicles caught fire, and the fire was contained roadside.
“Both occupants of the SUV died during the collision.”
The two people in the truck were treated in hospital for injuries sustained in the crash.
A contemporary report at the time by CTV News said that police “say it’s not yet clear why the SUV swerved, but that speed and impairment do not appear to be factors”.
Mr and Mrs Atkinson, of Tudor Way, Strensall, were in Canada for a holiday “celebrating 25 years of happy marriage”, the family said in a death notice.
In his conclusion to the inquest, Mr Heath said Mr and Mrs Atkinson died of multiple blunt force trauma due to a road traffic collision.
The couple’s daughters, Ruth and Amy, were in court for the inquest. Mr Heath concluded the inquest by offering his sincere condolences to the family.