The family of a retired deputy headteacher who died after her car hit a tree have paid tribute to a “great character”.

An inquest at Oxfordshire Coroner’s Court heard that Charmian Snowden, from Milton, accidentally hit the accelerator pedal instead of the brake, causing her to crash into a tree in Sandfine Road, Broughton, on September 11, 2013.

Mrs Snowden, 82, who retired as deputy head at Tudor Hall School in 1993, died of her injuries at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital on September 21.

Her son Mark said after the inquest: “She was a great character.”

Oxfordshire Coroner Darren Salter recorded a verdict of accidental death.