By David LennardA POPULAR midwife died when the car she was driving went out of control on a bend and collided with a recovery truck.Sally Stockley, 59, of The Common, Metfield, near Halesworth, died in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on October 23 last year after being involved in an accident on the B1123 earlier that day.

By David Lennard

A POPULAR midwife died when the car she was driving went out of control on a bend and collided with a recovery truck.

Sally Stockley, 59, of The Common, Metfield, near Halesworth, died in the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital on October 23 last year after being involved in an accident on the B1123 earlier that day.

The crash happened between Metfield and Withersdale Street and Mrs Stockley, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was thrown from her vehicle when it collided with the truck.

She died from multiple injuries and Lowestoft coroner George Leguen de Lacroix recorded a verdict of accidental death at an inquest in the town yesterday.

Jess Cable, of The Street, Metfield, said he had been driving a recovery truck from Diss to his home so he could use it for a job the following day.

“As I approached a bend, I became aware of a car skidding across the road. I could not avoid the collision as the car hit the side of my truck,” he added.

Accident investigator Pc Adam Williams, of Bury St Edmunds traffic police, said he believed the accident had been caused by an under-inflated rear tyre on Mrs Stockley's car.

He added a nail had been discovered in the tyre and the loss of pressure could have led to the skid on the road, which was damp after a spate of showers.

Pc Williams said Mrs Stockley had been thrown out of the car through the passenger door window as a result of the impact.

“It is impossible to say if her injuries would have proved fatal if she had been wearing a seatbelt,” he added.

Mrs Stockley, who was married to Christopher Lewis and who had two children, John and Beatrice, was a Metfield parish councillor.

She used to run the Metfield Birth Group, a support group where parents could meet and discuss the various options for giving birth.

Mrs Stockley had also become involved with work aimed at improving midwifery services in Uganda, a country she had visited on several occasions.

david.lennard@eadt.co.uk