A MAN whose "gross driving error" led to the deaths of both himself and another man might have been prosecuted for causing death by dangerous driving had he survived, an inquest heard.

The inquest at Oxfordshire Coroner's Court heard that retired airman Sidney Allen, 82, was in his Toyota travelling east along the A40 near Burford on December 18 last year at about 8.30pm, when he swerved across the road into the path of 62-year-old James Martin's Mazda.

The cars crashed almost head on and Mr Allen, of Lower Crescent, Minster Lovell, was killed instantly. Mr Martin, a bank consultant from Ganarew, Monmouth, Wales, died in hospital.

Collision investigator PC Mark Howard told the court his investigations led him to believe that before the crash, Mr Allen was leaning forward and to his left, towards either the passenger footwell or glovebox.

He said: "He would have been unbalanced with one hand on the steering wheel.

"I think there's a fair chance that caused him to swerve across the road."

He added: "Had Mr Allen lived, I would have expected a senior officer to take this to the Crown Prosecution Service to see if there was a case for prosecution for death by dangerous driving."

Coroner Richard Whittington said Mr Martin had died as a consequence of a "gross error of driving" on Mr Allen's part.

He recorded a verdict of death by misadventure for Mr Allen, who leaves a wife, Jessie, 83, and a narrative verdict for Mr Martin.