A CORONER yesterday ruled 80-year-old Sidmouth woman Mavis Budden's death was accidental. Shortly before 11am on March 28 last year, Mrs Budden, of All Saints Road, was driving along Four Elms Hill, near Newton Poppleford, when her Nissan Micra was invol

A CORONER yesterday ruled 80-year-old Sidmouth woman Mavis Budden's death was accidental.Shortly before 11am on March 28 last year, Mrs Budden, of All Saints Road, was driving along Four Elms Hill, near Newton Poppleford, when her Nissan Micra was involved in a collision with a silver Mondeo travelling to Plymouth from the Sidmouth direction.The inquest at Honiton Magistrates' Court heard how the two cars collided at the brow of the hill. The Mondeo ended up on its side, Mrs Budden's vehicle resting on a grass verge.Witnesses said Mrs Budden was unconscious immediately after the accident. The court heard how she was found slumped in the driver's seat, with a weak pulse, floppy limbs and a pallid complexion.Mrs Budden, who moved to Sidmouth four years ago with her husband Edward, was taken by ambulance to the intensive care unit of the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where she died the following day from spinal cord and cerebral injuries.An RD&E consultant described Mrs Budden's injuries as a 'hangman's fracture', adding his prognosis at the time of her admittance to hospital was 'grave'.Coroner Darren Salter said he was satisfied from the evidence put before him that Mrs Budden died as a result of her injuries.Daughters Christine De Laine and Rosemary Groves yesterday paid tribute to their mother, who set up a Brownie pack in Nigeria and was President of Girlguiding in Devon, saying she had much to be remembered for.