A SCHOOLGIRL from North Tawton died instantly from a head injury after a car accident near Winkleigh, an inquest in Okehampton heard last week.

Coroner Richard Van Oppen was told Okehampton College pupil Sarah Kennedy, aged 13, was a passenger in the Vauxhall Nova car when it crashed into the verge and rolled onto its roof at Caddaton Cross in September.

The 17-year-old car driver told police he hit a rock in the road which caused the accident.

The youth, who goes banger racing, said in the interview: 'I tried to dodge a rock and I hit it.'

He also claimed that a person who helped at the scene must have moved the rock out of the road and thrown it into a roadside hedge.

Front seat passenger Peter Atherton, 15 at the time, said the driver was not a show off behind the wheel and drove within the speed limit.

He told the inquest the car hit something in the road and was 'swinging from side to side' until it collided with the bank and rolled over several times.

The inquest heard the driver had given a negative breath test — the car had no mechanical defects.

Police expert MPC Nick Holland said no obstruction was found in the road, and there was no evidence of emergency braking.

Greater Devon Coroner Richard Van Oppen said: 'I am satisfied there was no obstruction in the road.'

Mr Van Oppen recorded a verdict of accidental death.

l The 17-year-old driver, who cannot be named for legal reasons, appeared before Exeter Youth Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to careless driving, driving while disqualified and with no insurance.

He will reappear in court next month for sentencing on all three charges, following the preparation of reports.