A 20-year-old woman who was killed in a car crash in Borehamwood had swerved to avoid hitting her brother's car before losing control and hitting a tree, an inquest has heard.

Parita Shah, of Kenton Lane, Harrow, died when her black Peugeot 206 spun off the A1 northbound carriageway, close to the Holiday Inn hotel, on May 18.

The tourism management student was pronounced dead at the scene after suffering multiple fatal injuries. Her passenger, a 20-year-old woman from Kenton, was taken to Barnet Hospital and discharged the next day.

Last Thursday, Hertfordshire Coroner's Court heard how Miss Shah was travelling from her home to the University of Hertfordshire, where she was a first-year student, when the accident happened. Her brother, Bhavin - also a student at the university - was driving another car with two of his friends.

Miss Shah, a devout Hindu, was driving in the left-hand lane at about 10pm, with her brother driving in the right-hand lane. Both drivers passed another vehicle, a Mercedes, travelling in the middle lane, before both trying to pull in front.

Witness Alan Gale, who was driving the Mercedes, told the inquest: "After they passed me, they both started to go into the middle lane. I think the car in the outside lane sensed that they were converging and didn't swerve but just went back into the outside lane.

"The young lady in the car which crashed came very close to hitting the car in the outside lane, and swerved quickly in the opposite direction. At that point, the driver appeared to lose control of the car and skidded towards the curb."

Constable Ian Marsh, of the accident investigation unit, said evidence showed Miss Shah was travelling between 78 and 96 miles per hour when the accident happened.

In a statement released shortly after her death, Miss Shah's family said: "Her memories will forever be in our heart. We, as a family, will remember her - every smile, laughter, achievement and even her tantrums which were so innocent and made not just her family but her friends laugh."

Miss Shah, who worked part-time at clothing store Monsoon, had been given money by her brother to buy the car less than a year earlier.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, coroner Edward Thomas said: "What I think most probably happened is that Parita was coming back into the middle lane and felt she needed to steer quite hard and that meant she lost control.

"It's such a pity she chose to undertake the car ahead because if she had followed her brother overtaking then that wouldn't have been a problem.

"What happened meant that she lost her life. She had contributed a lot to people in her short life. Clearly she would have been continuing to contribute to many people and be a great joy and pleasure now.

"I want to acknowledge the awful grief that you the family must be suffering. It is a family tragedy."

Speaking after the inquest, Miss Shah's uncle, Kishore, said: "I don't want to open up old wounds for the family. It's behind us and now we have to move forward in life."