A 62-year-old woman was killed in an accident after being hit by a car near where she lived, an inquest heard this week.

Margaret Nalepka, of Hughenden Avenue, High Wycombe, was crossing the road at around 4.40pm on November 28 last year, when she was struck by a Honda Jazz which was coming from the direction of the town centre.

Miss Nalepka was seen crossing with two shopping bags and a walking stick, and was said to be crossing “very slowly”.

She was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.

Giving evidence, Wendy Figiel, who witnessed the accident as she came down Hughenden Avenue to pick her son up from West Wycombe, said she saw Miss Nalepka “fly high up” into the air as she was hit, with her shopping scattered on the road.

She said: “I immediately braked hard and then heard the noise of something hitting the car. I didn’t realise at the time that it was her.

“The [other] car continued to go forwards after he hit the lady. My son got out as he thought the car was going to drive off.

“I was in shock but shouted for him not to touch her. I was shaking and tried to call 999 but couldn’t as I was shaking too much, so I shouted for someone to call 999.”

When asked what she saw when she got out of the car, Mrs Figiel became visibly distressed, saying: “There was the lady’s shopping all out of the bags and her walking stick was pointing towards my driver’s door.

“When I got out and looked, she was laying at the corner of the back of our car.”

At this point Mrs Figiel became too overcome with emotion to continue, and returned to her seat.

The inquest heard Miss Nalepka was wearing “dark clothes” and may not have looked to check if there was a car coming from the other side.

David Smith, who was driving the Honda Jazz, said he did not see Miss Nalepka “until the last second”.

He said: “When I turned into Hughenden Avenue, I was looking up at the hill, past the turning.

“I saw the legs of someone coming across from the road. I didn’t even have time to brake.

“My first reaction was to get out of the way so I drove a few metres up the road.”

Forensic investigation officer Tony Reading told the inquest he did not believe the car had been speeding due to the location of the impact, and that an inspection of the car showed the headlights were on and in the correct position, and the tyres were “roadworthy” and correctly inflated.

The pathologist’s report, read out to the court, said Miss Nalepka suffered “considerable broken bones, some fractures, bruising and abrasions of a significant nature”.

Assistant coroner Anne Davies ruled Miss Nalepka died in an accident due to her colliding with a moving vehicle.

The medical cause of death was recorded as multiple injuries relating to the accident.