A DRIVER killed on the site of a new roundabout due to be constructed on the A358 at Bishops Lydeard might not have seen the van which ploughed into her, an inquest heard on Wednesday.

Sally Eveleigh, 70, of Paganel Road, Minehead, pulled out of Station Road into the path of a van travelling towards Taunton within the speed limit at between 39mph and 59mph.

She appeared to be turning right, towards Minehead, less than 30 metres away from the oncoming van, leaving driver Wesley Forshaw with barely seconds in which to react.

Her family and Bishops Lydeard Parish Council were “firmly of the view” that the accident, on April 27, would not have happened if the roundabout had been in place.

Work on the long-planned roundabout is due to start on Monday after numerous delays but parish council chairman Henry Davenport told the inquest: “We’ve been there before - I’m not holding my breath.”

Coroner Tony Williams said he would write to the county council, copying in Taunton Deane Borough Council, to ask what was the protocol regarding speed in such locations.

“I’m not being critical,” he said. “I can ask if speed reductions would have been appropriate.

“A roundabout can be built for a variety of reasons . . . and you would anticipate it would make drivers slow down but not necessarily stop.”

Full inquest report in the Free Press (September 23)