An 82-year-old great-grandad "more than likely" had a heart attack at the wheel of his car before he crashed through a fence and died from his injuries, an inquest has heard.

In October last year "loving and kind" Jerome Groves, of Old Downs, Hartley, was fatally wounded when his silver Toyota Rav 4 failed to navigate a slight right hand bend in Green Street Green Road, Dartford, and ploughed through a metal wire fence.

The car was then in a field and rolled toward an embankment before stopping.

An inquest at County Hall in Maidstone on Thursday, April 20, heard how a wooden post from the fence had smashed through the window and left Mr Groves with “unsurvivable” injuries.

Emergency servies, including the air ambulance, and members of the public rushed to help the former electrical engineer, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Assitant coroner Alan Blunsdon told the court his cause of death was given as trauma to the liver and right kidney, as a result of a road traffic collision.

The hearing, which was attended by the former Rainham reisdent’s daughter Sarah Groves, heard how he had a history of health issues, including coronary artery disease, atrial fibrillation and atrial arrhythmia – all of which affect the function of the heart.

Consultant pathologist Javed Wazir, from the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford, exmained Mr Groves after his death and said he had a “massively enlarged heart”.

He said: “I am of the opinion he went into cardiac arrest and lost control of the and it went into the fence.”

Dr Wazir also told the court Mr Groves injuries weren’t survivable and it was likely he was unconcscious at the time of the impact “as a result of being in cardiac arrest”.

Mr Blunsdon explained the crash happened outside Pinden Ltd waste management site and two workers from the company rushed over to the vehicle, pulling the keys from the ignition and ringing the emergency services.

Evidence from PC Stephanie Wyles, the investigating officer for the crash, revealed there were no faults with Mr Groves’s car and he wasn’t on his phone as it was in his back pocket.

She agreed it was likely he had either had a medical episode, suffered fatigue and fell asleep or was distracted.

The court also heard there was no sign of an input into the cars brakes when it was in the field and it was in a “rolling motion”.

Assistant coroner Alan Blunsdon agreed with Dr Wazir that it was more than likely Mr Groves suffered a cardiac arrest and was unconcscious at the time of the crash.

He concluded the London-born grandfather and father’s death as a road traffic accident.

The father-of-two, who was a massive West Ham fan, enjoyed playing golf at the Redlibbets club in Sevenoaks and chess.

His daughter Sarah, who used to live on the Isle of Sheppey, said: "He was the kindest man you'd ever meet. He was a really good dad.

"He was a really special man with a great sense of humour."