A loving father who died in a crash could have lost control of his car when he sneezed, an inquest heard.
Tom Dixon, 30, died on November 1 following a collision near Sunderland.
He had been driving a black Citroen DS3 on the A1231 when the car left the road, dropped down a grass verge and crashed into trees and fencing.
Emergency services attended but Mr Dixon was pronounced dead at the scene.
He had been on the phone via Bluetooth at the time of the crash, and was heard making "a sound like a sneeze", ChronicleLive reports.
At an inquest into Mr Dixon's death on Thursday, senior coroner Derek Winter said: "Information confirmed that Tom had been on the telephone on Bluetooth at the time.
"A witness described the manner of driving and it did not cause the officer any concern.
"He described how Tom's vehicle veered left towards the road sign.
"The person who had been on the call with Tom indicates that there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"Tom said: 'Two secs' and then they heard a sound like a sneeze followed by Tom screaming and lots of banging and crashing."
The witness then saw Mr Dixon's vehicle hit the kerb and travel through the air before passing out of sight.
Research shows that sneezing and closing your eyes while driving can have "serious consequences".
A sneeze can last three seconds, and a person's eyes can be closed for up to a second and a half, the inquest was told. A car travelling at 70mph for three seconds can travel 90 metres.
A police report confirmed mechanical problems did not contribute to the crash, and no other vehicles or people were involved.
Police also said the road was damp, and there were concerns Mr Dixon could have aquaplaned, though there was no evidence of this.
A post-mortem revealed the cause of death was a blunt head injury, and a toxicology report confirmed cocaine was found in his blood.
As a result of the crash, Mr Dixon suffered a skull fracture. He also fractured bones in both forearms, which was consistent with him bracing his arms during the impact.
The coroner read out a conclusion from a police officer, which said: "It's my opinion that at the time of the collision Tom Dixon had taken cocaine.
"My opinion on the primary cause of the collision is driver error through the influence of cocaine or sneezing which caused a loss of control of the vehicle."
Mr Dixon, from Seaham, County Durham, was father to his son Marshall and daughter Evelyn. His heartbroken family have paid tribute to him.
They said: "Tom was a larger than life character with such a big heart who had time for everyone, his family his friends or a stranger in the street.
"A lovable young man who had a fabulous sense of humour with a loud thunder-like laugh that made everyone smile and boy did he have a smile.
"A giant amongst men who was unbelievably caring to everyone which in these current times in a world that can be unkind he was kind to everyone regardless of who they were or their background."
Mr Dixon's family said he had loved being outdoors, exploring on his bike, and photography. He had worked at British Gas and Nissan before joining the delivery company DPD.
He also leaves behind parents Jan and Paul, sister Katie-Jayne, grandparents Audrey and John, and niece and goddaughter Ophelia-Jayne.
