A NEWBRIDGE woman died after she lost control of her car on black ice and collided with a bus, an inquest heard yesterday.

Michelle Claire Jenkins, 39, suffered multiple injuries during the crash on the A467 near Aberbeeg on January 2.

The home shopping manager was travelling to work at Brynmawr’s Asda supermarket when the accident happened.

A statement read out to Gwent Coroner’s Court sitting in Newport from bus driver Philip Caple, said he was driving towards Crumlin when he saw Ms Jenkins’ car, which was travelling in the opposite direction, go out of control, spin around and move into his lane.

The statement said all he could do was brake and the front of his bus smashed into the Rover 216 Cabriolet.

There were around nine passengers on the bus, who were not seriously injured.

PC Christopher Goddard, a forensic collision investigator, told the inquest marks on the road showed the car had been pushed around 21 metres along the road by the bus.

He said the road was gritted at around 4.30am, but the temperature at the roadside was around -8 degrees Celsius and black ice had formed.

PC Goddard added the A467’s speed limit is 60mph for cars and 50mph for buses.

He said police could not determine Ms Jenkins’ speed, but the bus had travelled at an average of 39mph over the previous 880m.

Gwent coroner David Bowen said: “The reason that Ms Jenkins’ car went out of control was that it hit an area of black ice.

“Once it did so and started skidding, there was little she could have done to regain control - even though she was a very careful, considerate and experienced driver.”

He added there was nothing the bus driver could have done to prevent the crash and recorded a verdict of accidental death.