A TEENAGE driver who struck an elderly pedestrian who later died was blinded by headlights from an oncoming vehicle, an inquest heard yesterday.

James Richards, 78, was leaving the Old Nick Pub in Station Road, Royal Wootton Bassett, on November 19 last year when he was struck by a grey Fiat Punto driven by 18-year-old Thomas Titcombe.

Mr Richards crossed one lane of traffic and was in the middle of the second lane when Mr Titcombe’s car collided with him.

As emergency services arrived Mr Richards was still conscious, an inquest held at Salisbury heard.

He was taken to Great Western Hospital where he died from his injuries. A post-mortem showed he had a very low level of alcohol in his system. Mr Titcombe also passed a breathalyser test.

Peter Upton was driving his Mercedes saloon car up Station Road when he saw Mr Richards cross the adjacent lane.

“I saw a man in dark clothing in the middle of the two lanes, he was looking straight forward not side to side. I could see a car in the opposite direction coming with its headlights on, it definitely wasn’t going very fast, probably 25mph at most,” he told the inquest.

“The man didn’t pause. I almost had a premonition that the man was going to step out in front of the car so I hit the horn hard. It was too late.

“ I had a realisation that it was going to happen.

“All I saw was arms and legs fly up in the air. He ended up on the pavement.

“I ran to help, the driver was completely beside himself.”

David Brackpool, who works at the Old Nick pub, witnessed the collision from a window.

He said: “I heard a big bang and the sound of brakes from a car. I saw the silhouette of a body fly through the air. I ran outside and the man was still conscious. The driver just said ‘I didn’t see him, I didn’t see him, he came out of nowhere’.”

The inquest heard Mr Titcombe was on his way to a friend’s house to play X-Box when he was temporarily blinded by the headlights from Mr Upton’s oncoming Mercedes.

As a result he did not see Mr Richards in the road ahead of him.

“By the time I saw him, it was about a second before I hit him. I slammed the emergency brakes on but it was too late,” Mr Titcombe said.

PC Julian Chambers, from Avon & Somerset police, conducted a forensic reconstruction of the collision and corroborated this version of events.

He said: “At 25 miles an hour Mr Titcombe was past the point of no return and had no opportunity to stop.

“In fact in our forensic reconstruction using the same two cars the same thing happened, the lights blinded me and I couldn’t see three pedestrians on the pavement.”

Originally from Hounslow, retired builder Mr Richards had been enjoying his retirement in the town.

In a witness statement his daughter Jeanette Strickland said he had settled into a comfortable daily routine.

“He was enjoying his retirement, he’d made lots of friends in Wootton Bassett,” she said.

“He’d visit the pub during happy hour, have half a pint of lager and do the crosswords. He was in good health but I was worried about his memory recently.”

Assistant coroner Ian Singleton said: “This is a tragic accident that was unavoidable.

"The driver had no chance to swerve and was blinded by the headlights from an oncoming vehicle at the moment the pedestrian went to cross the road and was unable to see.

"The injuries were caused by this.”

A verdict of accidental death was recorded.