Dudley man on night out with friends died after being hit by recovery lorry
A man who was out drinking with friends was struck by a recovery vehicle and killed after stumbling into the road, an inquest heard.
Senior Coroner Robin Balmain concluded at Smethwick Coroners Court that Darren Smart, of King Street, Dudley, was killed in a road traffic collision. Mr Smart was said to have such high levels of alcohol in his system that a pathologist's test found it would have led to 'extreme drunkenness' in the average social drinker.
Mr Smart, aged 39, was killed on The Parade, in the town, on September 27 while on the way to a pub at 8.50pm. A post mortem found he had multiple injuries to his head and chest.
His death had been treated as a hit-and-run but the coroner's court heard how the driver of the lorry, Paul Darby, had not been aware he had hit anyone until he read the news of the collision the following day. He said he 'put two-and-two together' and went to the police station.
Mr Darby, of Merryfield Road, Dudley, said he traded in cars and before the collision he had picked up a car from Darlaston. He added: "I was about two minutes from home. The road was dry and I was driving just normal speed. I was making my way up a hill. I heard a loud bang and I thought I had hit a house brick or the straps at the sides of my vehicle had come loose.
"When there's a car on the back I'm used to loud noises.When I got home I checked everything over and there was no damage to the truck. The following morning I found that the mudguard had gone and I figured it must have fallen off and I had run over it."
Mr Balmain, when concluding the cause of death, said: "The pathologist found 422 microgrammes of alcohol in his blood. I'm told that 350 microgrammes could be fatal on its own.
"The effect of alcohol on a person depends on their tolerance. The pathologist said that it could have led to extreme drunkenness in the average social drinker. It appears Mr Smart fell and stumbled into the road at the same time Mr Darby drove past. It seems he went into the side of the vehicle. I conclude that the death was as a result of a road traffic collision."
After the hearing Mr Smart's sister, Karen Shotton, said: "He'd do anything for anyone. Darren was the life and soul of the party."
