A RETIRED factory worker died when a car driven by her daughter skidded on black ice and flipped five times into a field off the A6, an inquest heard.

Carole Maltby was travelling to Carlisle on a Christmas shopping trip when her daughter lost control of her Suzuki Swift before it crashed through a fence and rolled into the field near Shap.

Her family left the room at Kendal County Hall yesterday as evidence from a post-mortem revealed the serious injuries the 76-year-old, who lived at High Sparrowmire, Kendal, sustained in the accident at around 9am on December 3 last year.

Coroner Robert Chapman told Mrs Maltby's daughter Karen Atkinson: "I know you are bound to feel responsible but you were just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Mark Dempster, a collision investigator at Cumbria Police, said the whole road had been gritted by Cumbria County Council at 4pm the day before because of the expected bad weather.

But he said the spot where the accident happened - a 20 metre stretch of road just past Shap Summit - had been re-surfaced with bitumen stones which meant the grit fell into the 'valleys' and offered no grip on the surface.

He added the repair was in a 'normal fashion' and that the rest of the road had been sufficiently gritted.

The hearing was told that two motorists had also skidded on the ice in the hour before the crash which claimed the life Mrs Maltby, who used to work at Kendal's K-Shoes factory.

A statement was read out from student Daniel Douglas, of Kendal, who said he lost control of his Vauxhall Corsa at about 7.50am the same day.

Motorcyclist Joseph Foster, also of Kendal, also slid off his bike at around 8.30am. He was not injured but his protective clothing was damaged, the inquest heard.

Ms Atkinson said the weather was sunny and that she had not seen any ice on the journey.

"I got to the top of the summit with no skidding whatsoever and as we went over I started to go a bit faster," she said.

"The car just started to go from one side to the other before it hit the kerb and rolled into the field."

The hearing was told the car then struck tree stumps before coming to rest on its side.

Mrs Maltby was pronounced dead at the scene. Her daughter was taken to Royal Preston Hospital by air ambulance with minor injuries.