AN ANIMAL-LOVER who died when her car ploughed into a tree may have swerved to avoid a fox.

Pamela Willis, 25, had just gone over the Army and Navy roundabout and was heading towards Howe Green on the A1114 in her two-seat Toyota sports car when she suddenly veered left off the road.

An inquest on Tuesday of last week heard that her car toppled the tree, and the impact ripped the roof from her car and cut her seatbelt.

Pamela had overtaken Sarah Grant's Ford Focus just after the roundabout and was believed to be doing about 70mph on the dual carriageway.

Sarah and her husband Stephen pulled over and ran down the embankment to try to rescue her, but there was nothing they could do.

Sarah broke down in tears outside the inquest, in New London Road, Chelmsford, and said "I'm so sorry" to Pamela's mum as the two tearful women hugged.

Pamela's dad Clifford said: "She was a fantastic young lady, full of life and with so much going for her.

"This has left a huge void but she will always be there for us. We miss her terribly, as do all our friends and family.

"We have some absolutely wonderful memories of Pamela, and they will always be cherished.

"We would also like to thank the couple who stopped for everything they tried to do, and also to thank the emergency services for their work.

"We are grateful to get clarification on some things today, and as a family we can hopefully now begin to move forward."

Deputy coroner Eleanor McGann returned a verdict of accidental death.

She said: "Miss Willis lost control of her vehicle. The fact that there was still a warm dead fox in the road means it's more than likely that the fox contributed in some way to the incident.

"Miss Willis was an animal lover, and if she had seen a fox run out, she would have done anything she could to avoid it.

"We can never be certain, but I am certain this was an accident."

The crash took place at 10.45pm and the court heard that the night was dark, cold and cloudy, but dry, and that the road was damp but not icy.

It was confirmed that Pamela had no drugs or alcohol in her system and that she was wearing her seatbelt.

Deborah Manning, of the Essex Police Collision Unit, said: "Unfortunately, the crash was such that a seatbelt made no difference.

"There is no physical evidence as to why Pamela lost control of the vehicle."

After overtaking the Grants' Focus, she continued in the inside lane for half a mile before veering across both lanes and down the embankment.

At one point her car went airborne before landing in a ditch due to its speed.