Health chief Geoff Scaife was killed in an horrific M4 crash in circumstances completely out of his control, an inquest in Devizes heard on Friday.

Wiltshire coroner David Masters described the 55-year-old's death in April 2004 as being "that nightmare for all drivers when met by something completely out of their control".

The married father-of-four, who was responsible for cutting treatment waiting times across the region's hospitals, died when a car transporter crossed the central reservation between Chippenham and Bath and smashed head on into his Chrysler Voyager, which was travelling westbound.

A post mortem examination found the cause of death to be shock due to multiple injuries.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Masters said: "Mr Scaife could not have survived with these injuries and is likely to have met his death very quickly."

The inquest heard written statements from witnesses to the crash that occurred at Acton Turnville just before 7pm on April 20 last year.

It involved a white Citroen despatch vehicle and an unladen car transporter, both travelling eastbound.

In his summary Mr Masters described how Richard Langford, of Staffordshire, was driving the Citroen in lane two when he suddenly became aware of a car in front of him. He swerved into lane three to avoid it before losing control and careering back across the lanes and crashing into the car transporter that was in lane one.

The Citroen hit the pivotal point between the towing unit and the transporter causing it to jack-knife and crash through the central reservation into the oncoming westbound traffic, where it collided head on with Mr Scaife's Chrysler.

In his statement to police at the time of the accident Mr Langford agreed he had approached the car in front too quickly due to a "momentary lapse of concentration".

Mr Masters read a statement from Mr Langford's passenger, Barry Dalton, in which he described the moment they saw the car in front.

It said: "He (Mr Langford) swerved into lane three. It was a violent manoeuvre and then Rich had to correct the manoeuvre. He overcorrected and went into the car transporter."

The police officer in the case, PC John England, attended the inquest and produced the report of accident investigator PC Beresford-Smith from the Swindon traffic department.

In the report PC Beresford-Smith described the driving conditions at the time of the accident as "wet, dull and overcast" resulting in reduced visibility.

He added that Mr Langford had been reported for careless driving and was awaiting prosecution following the outcome of the inquest.

Mr Scaife, who lived in Worcester and travelled to Chippenham each day, had been chief executive of Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority at Langley Park since January 2003.

He had helped to secure £60 billion of Government money to help the West's debt-ridden health care trusts and was described by the authority chairman, Anthea Millet, as an inspirational leader.

She said: "He was intelligent, dedicated and a real ambassador for the National Health Service. He was also a great friend and colleague, warm, supportive and kind.

"He was passionate about making real change and had achieved so much in such a short space of time. The health service has lost a great champion."

Before taking up his post in Chippenham, Mr Scaife served as chief executive of the Birmingham and Black Country Strategic Health Authority, and was chief executive of the National Health Service in Scotland.