A SOCIAL services chef died from multiple injuries after colliding with a car as he crossed Chester Road a Trafford inquest heard.

Kevin Nally from Chorlton had been drinking at the Old Cock on Chester Road in Stretford on Saturday February 2. The inquest heard that Kevin had started drinking at the Moulin Rouge in the afternoon before moving on to the Old Cock.

He left the pub shortly after 11.30pm with his friend Kathleen Krukowski.

The pair crossed the northbound carriageway together but on reaching the central reservation, Kevin said he wanted to cross alone.

Kathleen crossed the southbound carriageway and turned to look where Kevin was and she saw he hadn't yet started crossing.

"He stepped of the curb as I got to the middle lane, then he started to run," said Kathleen, "Kevin hit the windscreen of the car.

"I don't really know why he crossed behind me, I've got no idea."

Witnesses who were driving along Chester Road at the time of the accident told the inquest they had followed a white Escort travelling in the direction of Sale.

They said they saw something fall from the side of the car and then the car moved into the bus stop at the side of the road.

PC Michael Jeffrey who investigated the accident told the inquest he arrived on the scene at 12.30am.

He said there was a tyre mark on the road surface and contact patches on the vehicle's tyres that indicated that emergency braking had been applied, but he said the skid mark on the road was after the point of impact.

The vehicle was inspected and was found to be roadworthy.

PC Jeffrey told the inquest: "The road has a 40 miles an hour speed limit, it affords a 250 metres layout view to pedestrians and drivers without hindrance of headlights as the northbound lane takes a different route, although conditions were not ideal as it was night time.

"No evasive steering action was taken by the driver, and full emergency braking was not applied throughout the accident."

Doctor Haim Ali, consultant pathologist at Trafford General Hospital told the inquest Kevin Nally had less than half the legal limit of alcohol in his blood and this had no bearing on his death. She confirmed he had died from multiple injuries.

Coroner John Pollard said: "He could've seen traffic coming over a considerable difference so I'm still at something of a loss to understand why it was not possible to avoid this accident."

Verdict: Accidental Death.