A woman died when her car was in collision with a tree after her bonnet was hit by a pheasant, an inquest has heard.
Natalie Haywood, 20, was distracted when the game bird bounced off the bonnet of her Vauxhall Corsa as she approached a bend in Scrivelsby, Lincolnshire.
The inquest in Lincoln heard her car struck a "substantial tree" at the side of the B-road.
She was taken to hospital following the crash on January 22nd this year, but died of her injuries before arriving at the Lincoln County Hospital.
Police who arrived at the scene found the bird, which was still warm, on the opposite side of the road.
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Forensic investigator PC Mark Brown told the hearing: "It is more than likely a pheasant or animal caused her to be distracted.
"Some left-hand steering needed to be applies, so it's a more obvious explanation of the collision."
An unexplained mark on the bonnet, not caused by the impact with the tree, was "characteristic of an animal strike".
"The driver was the only occupant of the car, she was approaching a right-hand bend, losing control," he added.
"The car impacted with a substantial tree and full police investigation took place."
He said Natalie had died of multiple injuries.
The coroner's court heard Natalie, from Stickney, Lincolnshire, was a teaching assistant at Eresby Special School and was studying for a degree in early childhood.
Her mum, Christine Haywood, said: "She was a very bubbly, outgoing person who always had a smile on her face - she loved her family."
She had been on her way back to university as the "weather was closing in".
Coroner Paul Cooper delivered a verdict of accidental death, describing it as "a tragic road accident, it's nobody's fault."
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