Man, 95, dies after car hits mobility scooter

John Merther suffered cracked ribs in the low-speed collision on the junction between Hamstead Road and Newton Road, Great Barr.

After being admitted to hospital twice in the days that followed, the retired engineer had a cardiac arrest.

At the pensioner's inquest, the forensic pathologist said the stress and pain Mr Merther, of Dale Road, West Bromwich, had suffered could have contributed to the cardiac arrest at Sandwell General Hospital.

Peter Smyth, the driver of the Vauxhall Zafira which hit Mr Merther on September 26 last year, told Sandwell Coroners Court: "At the junction there was a car about to turn right, I went to go around it. I was travelling at about five or 10mph.

"I didn't see John, I just felt a bump, a sensation. I stopped the car, got out and saw John lying in the road with the scooter partially on top of his leg. I went to move it but he told me not to, and other people around also said that I should leave it and wait for emergency services."

Witness Iqbal Alwan said that he had waved Mr Merther on, despite the lights being green. He said: "He was already in the road, so I waved him past. He waved back to me and carried on.

"I don't think it would have been possible for the driver to have seen him.

"When I got out, John was conscious. He was adamant he wasn't going to hospital."

Mr Merther was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with two broken ribs. He later discharged himself, before being readmitted on September 30.

He died on October 3.

A statement from forensic pathologist Nicholas Hunt was read out by Black Country senior coroner Zafar Siddique.

It said: "The stress of being involved in a crash and the subsequent pain suffered could have contributed to him having a cardiac arrest."

The statement also said that the cause of death was cardiac arrest, with secondary causes of broken ribs, hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Mr Merther's daughter, Jean Murphy, said: "He was a very independent man, he had a really lively personality. He hated being indoors and he was frequently out on his buggy. He had an amazingly sharp mind. He lived a very active life."

Mr Siddique recorded a verdict that Mr Merther died as a result of a road traffic collision.

No charges have been brought against by Mr Smyth by police.