James Elton: British tourist killed by tram on Prague birthday trip
- Published
James Elton sustained a fatal head injury in November while on holiday in Prague
A British tourist died when he was struck by a tram in Prague on a birthday trip organised by his girlfriend, an inquest has heard.
James Elton, 45, of Crookham Village, Hampshire, sustained a fatal head injury in November.
The father of two made a "tragic misjudgement" when he tried to cross a road while drunk, Hampshire senior coroner Chris Wilkinson said.
He recorded a conclusion of death as a result of a road traffic accident.
Mr Elton's girlfriend Amber Minterne told the court they had been returning to their hotel in the Czech capital after consuming "a lot of alcohol" on 3 November.
"We were both drunk… mucking about almost like teenagers, hiding and jumping out on each other," she said.
She added she lost sight of Mr Elton at a corner and returned to the hotel alone.
'Fun-loving character'
Ms Minterne said she then saw police cars one block away and found her partner lying in front of a tram.
"It looked like he'd walked out in between parked cars," she said.
"[The police] said to me the impact almost certainly killed him straight away."
Mr Wilkinson said it was likely Mr Elton had seen the tram but had failed to correctly judge its speed and distance in his inebriated state.
He said Czech police had not provided details about the tram or its driver.
The coroner said Mr Elton, who worked as a builder, was a "fun-loving, fast-living character" who would be "incredibly missed" by his family and friends.