A POPULAR army trooper died when the car in which he was a passenger swerved to avoid a deer and crashed into a tree.

Robert Wright (20) was killed on February 29 this year, when his friend, Gary Oliver, lost control of his silver Peugeot 106 on the dark A3026 between Ludgershall and Tidworth.

Tuesday's inquest heard that the friends had been out for a pub meal in Andover with fellow member of the King's Royal Hussars, Callum Nugent, and were on their way back to their Tidworth barracks when the tragedy happened.

Mr Nugent was travelling separately and driving behind his pals when he lost sight of the Peugeot after the brow of a hill near Castledown School, Ludgershall.

He told the court he drove through some debris on the road and turned his car round.

The trooper discovered the wreckage of the Peugeot in a small clump of trees and a deeply distressed Mr Oliver, who told him something had run out in front of the car, where Mr Wright was still trapped.

Two motorists stopped to help but Mr Wright had died at the scene, still wearing his seatbelt.

Mr Oliver told police he had been travelling about 60 miles an hour and pulled sharply left on the steering wheel to avoid the animal.

Acting Inspector Paul Williams, of Salisbury traffic police, said the car would have left the road sideways and become airborne, before almost flipping over and hitting the tree, which broke in half.

It then travelled further, before stopping on all four wheels, with the passenger side completely crumpled.

A post-mortem revealed that Preston-born Mr Wright died of severe head injuries as a result of the impact.

Investigating officers described the crash as high speed but Inspector Williams said it was likely that the car would have left the road at an earlier bend if speed had caused the accident.

The court also heard the car was in good condition and Mr Oliver had not consumed any alcohol.

In a statement, deer manager for the military Mark Hill said there were three species of deer living in the area, although their numbers were unknown.

Deputy Wiltshire Coroner Bill Bache said Mr Oliver's explanation had "a certain sincerity about it" and he had been "consistent, with police investigations coming to the same conclusion".

In recording a verdict of accidental death he said: "Although there is no independent evidence the car hit an animal, his Mr Oliver's recollection of an animal running across the road does explain it very well."