Man emerged onto pavement before being hit by lorry, inquest hears
A man who was hit by a lorry on a main road in Wellington was intent on taking his own life, a coroner has said.
Peter George Taylor, 59, of Wellington, died in hospital after the crash on June 2 this year on Holyhead Road.
At an inquest into his death, held in Shrewsbury on Tuesday, John Ellery, senior coroner for Shropshire Telford and Wrekin, heard evidence from the driver of the HGV removals lorry, Lee Brown, about the tragedy.
In written evidence Mr Brown said he was driving the lorry, with two colleagues as passengers, on Holyhead Road on the morning of June 2.
He said he saw a man emerge onto the pavement close to a BP garage and step into the road in front of him.
"It seemed like he had been running," he said.
Despite braking hard, Mr Brown's lorry hit Mr Taylor. Paramedics tried to save him before he was taken to hospital but he died later that day.
The coroner also read evidence from the lorry's passengers and drivers who had been travelling in the opposite direction at the time.
They said they believed Mr Taylor had deliberately stepped into the path of the lorry.
Mr Taylor's sister, Susan Hancock, told the coroner she believed he had previously contemplated suicide.
In delivering his verdict of suicide, Mr Ellery said that, while it would never be known whether it had been planned or was a spur of the moment decision, Mr Taylor had made his decision to end his life.
* If you have been affected by this article, you can call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit Samaritans.org.
