Death of pedestrian hit by car 'accidental'

Robert Kissack died from head injuries after he was struck by a car as he crossed a road in the dark

The death of a young man who was hit by a car as he crossed a dark countryside road was "accidental", a coroner has ruled.

Robert Kissack died of head injuries after he was struck by a silver BMW on Whitebridge Road in Onchan in the early hours of 29 December last year.

Mr Kissack had been at a house party, the inquest heard, and had crossed the road towards the Manx Fun Farm to help his friend get into a taxi but he was struck as he ran back towards the party.

The inquest at Douglas Courthouse heard the car had been driven "properly" but because it was "extremely dark" the driver had not seen Mr Kissack until shortly before the accident and, despite braking sharply, he hit the 22-year-old.

Emergency stop

The vehicle, which had been travelling northbound along the road, was going about 60mph (97km/h) in a de-restricted zone at the time of impact.

In evidence provided to the inquest, the driver, who had picked up two of his friends after a night out, said he dimmed his headlights from full beam after noticing the lights of a taxi further down the road.

He said when he saw Mr Kissack in the middle of the road he performed an emergency stop and steered away from him.

The inquest heard the driver and his two passengers got out of the car, called the emergency services and one passenger, who was trained in first aid, performed CPR until the police arrived.

The accident happened on Whitebridge Road on 29 December 2024

A post-mortem examination found that head injuries Mr Kissack sustained in the collision led to his "rapid death".

The driver was breathalysed at the scene and was found to have not been drinking, evidence from one police officer revealed.

Another officer who attended the incident said it was so dark that police officers could not see their own hands without the assistance of a torch and witnesses noted that there were no nearby streetlights.

A collision investigator said the vehicle had started to brake 1.35m (4.43ft) before impact.

He told the inquest he did not think the driver would have had an opportunity to brake earlier than he did.

Coroner James Brooks found the driving was "proper" and that the vehicle could have been heard from "quite a distance away".

He said Mr Kissack's decision to cross the road would have been "affected to some degree by alcohol".

Recording a verdict of accidental death, he said the collision was "not in any way intentional to anyone involved" and he extended his condolences to friends and family for their "tragic loss".