Pedestrian's death on A66 at Stainton ruled a tragic accident

Jack Buckingham was struck by a car near the junction for Flusco close to Stainton village

The death of a 93-year-old man killed by a car was a "tragic accident", a coroner has said.

Jack Buckingham was hit by a Skoda on the A66 near Stainton village after getting out of his broken-down car, assistant coroner Robert Cohen said.

Dashcam footage showed Mr Buckingham "possibly stumble", the inquest heard.

The Skoda Fabia driver said his thoughts were with Mr Buckingham's family, who said the retired architect was "full of fun and laughter".

'Horror'

Mr Buckingham was out for a short drive with his wife on 5 August when their car failed or stalled near the junction for Flusco.

The inquest heard an AA worker had examined their car earlier that morning amid concerns but had concluded there was nothing wrong with it.

Mr Buckingham left his wife and vehicle to cross the road and speak to an HGV driver.

But as he walked back towards her, while in the middle of the road, he was hit by the eastbound Skoda driven by Raja Kumar, who was returning alone to his home in Buxton, Derbyshire, after a Lakes holiday.

In a statement read to the inquest, Mr Kumar said he felt "fresh and alert" and had his car limited to 70mph.

He said: "I suddenly noticed with horror a man was standing in the road in front of me."

'Heartbroken'

He said the pedestrian was about two car lengths away and seemed "a bit dazed and unsure what direction to go in".

Mr Kumar said: "I felt a terrible impact as I braked."

The Cumbria assistant coroner head Mr Buckingham suffered catastrophic multiple injuries and died a short time later despite the assistance of several passing doctors and clinicians.

A distressed Mr Kumar also said: "My heart goes out to Jack's family. They must be heartbroken. My thoughts are very much with them."

Mr Cohen recorded an official cause of death as "road traffic collision", adding: "This was a tragic accident."

In a statement, Mr Buckingham's daughter, Julie Inkersole, said: "He was full of fun and laughter. He loved nothing more than making anybody smile. My father will be sadly missed by all who knew him."