A heroic bus driver died in a “complete inferno” after deciding to drive straight into boulders on a narrow mountain road to try to save his passengers, an inquest heard.

The crash, which happened on April 16, 2013 while the coach was descending the precarious D211 road from French ski resort Alpe d’Huez, left Catrin Pugh from Rossett, who now lives in Chester, fighting for her life.

She suffered burns to 96 per cent of her body and was given a one in 1,000 chance of survival – spending three months in a coma following the crash.

Coach driver Maurice Wrightson, aged 63, from Ashington in Northumberland, became aware the brakes had failed as he approached the 21st hairpin bend and decided to smash into the mountainside rather than attempt the corner.

Flames quickly engulfed the coach, with passengers desperately trying to escape through the broken windows.

French investigators concluded Mr Wrightson had “undoubtedly prevented” the more serious consequences of the vehicle leaving the road.

The coroner’s court in Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland heard from his co-driver Nathan Woodland, 39, who also worked for County Durham-based Classic Coaches.

Describing Mr Wrightson as “old school and a very good driver”, Mr Woodland said his colleague had not been fazed by the steep, winding road and had been in no rush.

But after going through a small chicane, he said he felt the bus twitch and quickly became aware something was wrong.

He said: “I could see the road all the way down to turn 21. The distance was about half a mile.

“The gradient was not that steep compared to other bits, but suddenly Maurice looked at me with a very shocked look on his face.

“He said: ‘It’s not stopping us, it’s not stopping us’. I could tell immediately something was very wrong.”

He said Mr Wrightson began to grip the wheel very tightly and braced himself against his seat to apply more pressure to the brake.

“The coach was not gaining speed but it was not decelerating. The brakes were not stopping us,” he said.

“I stepped into the aisle and shouted: ‘Grab a hold, hold tight’.”

He then described how the coach smashed into the boulders and he was thrown a number of rows back.

As he picked himself up he saw people desperately trying to escape and flames begin to engulf the coach, which quickly turned into a “complete inferno”.

“There was a girl who had been sat behind the driver’s seat, her clothes were on fire. A man was trying to get her off the coach and dowse the fire on her clothes at the same time,” he said.

Emergency services arrived about 25 minutes later, with four passengers, including Catrin, being seriously injured.

Speaking at the time, French transport minister Frederic Cuvillier was reported as saying: “The driver showed remarkable courage.

“The witnesses all agree that his acts and his attitude meant a much heavier loss of life was avoided.”

The inquest heard the French report concluded the cause had been “the failing of the main brake, the pads of which had been completely destroyed by excessive heating.”

The jury heard this was a result of the “poor condition of the hydraulic retarder”.

The inquest is continuing.