An elderly couple who died in a crash after their car was involved in a head-on smash with a lorry on a busy Shropshire road suffered multiple injuries, an inquest heard.

Freda Twemlow, 81, was driving her Toyota Corolla with her husband, Ronald, 86, in the passenger seat when the couple’s car careered on to the wrong side of the road on the A41 at Chetwynd Firs, near Newport.

At the opening of the two inquests yesterday, Mr Michael Gwynne, coroner for Telford and Wrekin, was told that the grandparents from Garden City, Tern Hill, who were market traders, suffered serious injuries.

Julie Hartridge, coroner’s officer, said the crash on November 13 involved the pensioner’s car, a Scania HGV and a MAN HGV.

Mrs Hartridge said the couple’s car started to swerve and crossed the carriageway into the path of the oncoming Scania lorry.

The second lorry, which was being driven behind the elderly couple, braked to avoid the crash and jackknifed. She said the car “impacted heavily” with the oncoming lorry and had travelled a “significant distance” after impact.

Doctor Nicholas Green, consultant pathologist, found Mr and Mrs Twemlow had both died from multiple injuries.

The coroner’s officer said no criminal proceedings were expected as “there is no indication at the moment that any of the lorry drivers were at fault”.

Mr Gwynne adjourned the inquest for 16 weeks.

Following their deaths the couple’s son, Paul Twemlow, said they were “the best parents I could have had”.

Residents and councillors have called for urgent changes to be made to the busy stretch of road since the crash which they said was “dangerous”.

A second crash happened on the road within days of the couple’s death.

By Kirsty Smallman