A DRIVER had no way of seeing a pedestrian walking in the middle of the road late at night who she knocked down and killed, an inquest has heard.

Vytautas Lazdauskas, 25, and three friends were on their way to buy alcohol when he was struck by a Hyundai Tucson on the A358 at Stewley Cross.

Bente Rowell, who was driving the car, later told police she had not seen Mr Lazdauskas, saying: "I heard a long bang and my windscreen had shattered."

She said she pulled up at the junction with Folly Drive and added: "I felt scared and confused...it all happened so quickly. It happened in a second."

The inquest heard that Mr Lazdauskas, who was single and lived on a caravan site behind Stewley Cross Garage, Ashill, where he worked as a car cleaner, had gone for a drink with his three friends, including his brother Eimautas, on November 12.

After getting home, they decided to walk to Taunton to buy more alcohol, with the friends walking on the grass verge and Mr Lazdauskas, who was wearing dark clothes, in the centre of the road.

His brother said: "I heard a car coming from behind us. We shouted over to my brother to warn him. He was in the middle of the other lane about two metres in front of us. The car came from behind and struck Vytautas."

Paramedics were soon on the scene but Mr Lazdauskas was already dead. When police arrived, one of his friends repeatedly demanded officers arrest Mrs Rowell, who was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital for treatment.

Accident investigator PC Richard Hignett said her car had no faults or defects that would have contributed to or caused the collision and that she was driving within the speed limit at the time of impact.

He said: "Mrs Rowley saw a high vis top - (worn by one of the friends) - and indicated to move across and collided with Vytautas walking on the opposite side of the road."

He added that she would have been unlikely to see Mr Lazdauskas as he would have "merged into the background" because of his dark clothes.

PC Hignett concluded that the collision could be attributed to the victim's level of intoxication - he was slightly over the drink drive limit - and his decision to walk in the centre of the road; his lack of reflective clothing; and the dim lights on Mrs Rowell's car.

He said: "Mrs Rowell didn't see him and was unable to avoid the collision."

Senior Somerset Coroner Tony Williams concluded that Mr Lazdauskas died of head injuries with basal skull fracture in a road traffic collision.