An elderly couple who were on their way home after visiting family in Winchester died in a car crash after the husband suffered a medical episode, an inquest heard.
John, 81, and Joan Margaret Boyall, 80, died in a "catastrophic" car crash on the westbound carriageway of the A303 between Bullington and Norton on November 6, 2024.
An inquest into the deaths of the couple took place in Winchester Coroner's Court on Tuesday, July 29.
Coroner Nicholas Walker read a statement from a family member, which explained that the couple, who lived in Leicestershire, had visited family in Suffolk before driving to Winchester to visit another relative. It was on the journey back home from Winchester when the crash happened.
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The family member described the pair as "a very active couple, both appeared very well and in good spirits.
"Joan had enjoyed a walk along the South Downs just days before she died.
"Both of them were former teachers, John a sports teacher and Joan a primary school teacher, they were looking forward to their upcoming holiday in New Zealand."
The court heard that on the day of the crash, which happened around 11.20am, John, who had a history of heart disease, was driving a silver/beige Volvo XC90 in the left hand lane when his foot depressed the accelerator pedal to roughly 90mph, causing his car to drift and strike the offside rear of a Toyota Aygo in front of him.
Traffic was moving below the speed limit and the court heard that the driver Toyota, which was forced off-road, rolling at least once, into a nearby treeline, would have had no time to react. The driver suffered serious injuries but the court heard they are recovering slowly.
John's Volvo then veered off-road into a layby, where a Renault lorry was parked. The car drove into the back of the lorry at 53mph and both John and Joan suffered fatal injuries.
Paramedics pronounced them both dead at the scene.
Hampshire Constabulary's forensic collision investigator, PC Anthony Clifford, spoke at the inquest. He said: "It is my opinion that the likely cause of the collision was Mr Boyall likely suffering a medical episode prior to the collision."
Coroner Nicholas Walker said that it is the result of "a tragic sequence of events".
"John and Joan had just enjoyed a period of time staying with a relative. Both suffered catastrophic injuries and I am certain they died almost immediately.
"I am not able to say what kind of medical episode or what the cause of the medical episode was, but I am satisfied that all evidence indicates that John suffered a medical episode of an unknown cause which caused him to have his foot depressed on the accelerator, which caused him to lose control.
"It must have been utterly tragic for those family members to have lost them in such a way, and I send my sincere condolences."
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