Teenager killed as he lay on the road during walk home

An inquest heard that Robert Blythe, aged 18, of Hunters Close, Droitwich, was on his way home in a taxi in the early hours of Saturday, August 27, last year when he decided to get out and walk along the A38 near to the town's by-pass.

He had been on a night out with friends and was twice over the legal drink limit when he decided to leave the taxi and head for home.

The taxi driver described how Mr Blyth was seen "weaving" slightly as he walked along the road shortly before 2am.

An hour later, the driver of a lorry saw him lying in the road but he managed to swerve out the way.

The driver of a red Subaru was unable to steer away in time and drove over the teenager. The motorist was heading towards Worcester to pick up his girlfriend and he failed to realise it was a human body on the road until he saw an ambulance crew at the scene as he drove back along the A38, about an hour later.

Mr Blythe was found dead at the scene. He had sustained "multiple injuries".

Worcestershire coroner Victor Round said: "This was a tragedy. The lorry driver thought it was a bin bag in the road, before swerving around it and realising it was a human.

"Later, the driver of the car didn't realise it was a human. It was dark and difficult to move out the way.

"It was only when he saw an ambulance when travelling back down the road that he thought he might be involved. His driving was fine at the time of the collision. The car went directly over his head and body, causing multiple injuries. Injuries were consistent with him being run over whilst lying on the road, with the indication it went over his head and chest.

"He was found dead at the scene. Police say Mr Blythe was intoxicated, but don't know how he came to be lying on the floor."

Mr Blythe's body was found to contain 194 mill-igrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood. The legal limit for driving is 80mg.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.