Four dead in crash 'an accident'

Alison Graff had been on her way to Bridport as part of her studies

A two-car crash in which four people were killed on icy roads in Dorset was an accident, a coroner has recorded.

Student nurse Alison Graff's Peugeot 205 collided with a Nissan on the C12 Sherborne to Dorchester road at Cerne Abbas, Dorset, on 4 February.

Three men from Poland also died along with the 26-year-old from Dorchester.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death for all four victims at Dorset County Hall. He said the weather was a significant factor.

The forecast overnight was for rain, the court heard, but by morning the rain had turned to ice.

Gritters were despatched but by the time they reached Cerne Abbas the accident had already happened at about 0700 GMT.

The coroner said no one was to blame.

Alison was a really great girl Nick Graff

Ms Graff had been on her way to Bridport as part of her studies at Bournemouth University when the crash happened.

She had been studying to be a nurse and was specialising in the care of those with learning disabilities.

The men who died in the crash, outside the Giant's Head Caravan and Camping Park, were all steel workers.

They were 28-year-old Adam Podsiadlo, 48-year-old Andrzej Adam Kuc and 32-year-old Damian Galusik, who all lived in Weymouth.

Only a 34-year-old man, who was the driver of the Nissan, survived.

'Devastating'

The court heard that accident investigators believed he had lost control on a bend in the bad conditions, but that he remembered nothing of the crash.

Ms Graff's brother-in-law, Nick Graff, said: "Alison was a really great girl.

"She was full of life, always willing to help everybody.

"Obviously it's very devastating for the family.

"What happened on the morning of February 4 was a terrible thing, a terrible accident.

"Hopefully today it will come to some sort of conclusion and we can try to move on from it."