A mother-of-three died after stumbling into an oncoming car following a night of heavy drinking and an argument with her partner, an inquest heard.

Kristina Mickeviciute, from Warren Close, Brandon, collided with a grey Vauxhall Meriva on the B1107 Brandon Road near Thetford golf club on January 4 this year.

At yesterday's inquest into the 27-year-old's death, the Vauxhall driver recalled how he believed he had hit a deer when he heard a sudden thump and saw a shape against his windscreen.

David Evans, who was driving towards Brandon from Thetford, said: 'Something caught my eye like a dark shadow and all of a sudden, bang.

'The windscreen started to cave in. I was in shock. I slowed down to a stop and I walked back to where the accident happened. There were two women leaning over the body.'

One of those women was Elizabeth Best who had also been travelling along the road at around 7.15 that morning.

Mrs Best was travelling a couple of cars behind Mr Evans when she saw the vehicles in front of her pull over.

In the dark she believed it was a deer but then saw the body.

She took the pulse of Ms Mickeviciute and called 999.

Jeanette Herrington, a postwoman, was driving in the opposite direction a few minutes earlier when she saw a woman believed to be Ms Mickeviciute.

She said: 'I saw a face just appear. It frightened me so much I took an intake of breath.'

Ms Mickeviciute, from Lithuania, had been working until 2am and at 3am, when her partner finished his shift, they went to a friend's house where she drank cider and vodka.

Her partner eventually persuaded her to go home but during the trip to Brandon they had an argument and she tried to get out of the car.

He pulled over, let her out and she ran into the forest. When he drove back to find her he saw the emergency services.

The inquest at Norwich Coroner's Court heard Ms Mickeviciute's behaviour was out of character.

Deputy assistant coroner David Osborne recorded a verdict of death due to a road traffic collision. A post-mortem examination stated the cause of death was multiple injuries.