A 20-year-old student died after tragically tripping into a road during a night out and being hit by a passing car.

Samuel Lewis had been enjoying an evening with friends in Canterbury on the eve of the second national lockdown on November 4, when he was struck by a delivery vehicle after losing his footing while clambering over a barrier in the middle of the A257 St George’s Place.

The Canterbury Christ Church student, from Folkestone, had been on his way back to a friend’s student accommodation when the tragedy happened.

An inquest at Archbishop’s Palace in Maidstone, heard how he and a friend had dashed across St George’s Place outside Tokyo Tea Rooms.

Instead of using the nearby underpass or pedestrian crossing, the pair checked the road was clear before running across the first section of the dual carriageway.

The inquest heard how CCTV footage showed the friends laughing as they made it safely to the central reservation.

There, they stopped to check no vehicles were approaching, before Mr Lewis’ friend clambered over the metal barrier that separates the carriageways.

But as Mr Lewis followed, he tripped and caught his foot, causing him to fall head-first into the road.

He was struck by a dark grey Dacia Logan, suffering traumatic head injuries.

The car was being driven by a delivery driver, who had just exited the St George’s Place roundabout on his way to pick up food.

The inquest heard how the man had been following the highway code and was driving within the 30mph speed limit when the collision happened at about 10.15pm.

CCTV shows the driver tried to brake and swerve as soon as he spotted Mr Lewis, but tragically did not have time to avoid the collision.

“He wishes he could have changed things but knows there’s nothing he could have done to stop the collision from taking place...”

In a statement, responding police officer PC Day said the driver has been “deeply affected by the incident”.

“He wishes he could have changed things but knows there’s nothing he could have done to stop the collision from taking place,” added the PC, who described the crash as “a very tragic accident”.

Members of the public rushed to help Mr Lewis, and an air ambulance was scrambled to the scene.

Slipping in and out of consciousness, Mr Lewis was given anaesthetic and sedation and was airlifted to King’s College Hospital - a major trauma unit in London.

There, a CT scan revealed bleeding and multiple fractures to his skull.

Several days later, on November 8, medics decided to perform a decompressive craniectomy, that would see part of Mr Lewis’ skull removed to allow for brain swelling. But tragically, he went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead shortly after 9.30pm.

Monday’s inquest heard how Mr Lewis had Type 1 diabetes, but had otherwise been a “fit and well” young man.

His cause of death was given as multiple-organ failure caused by traumatic brain injury, with his diabetes given as a contributing factor.

Although no blood tests were carried out, coroner Katrina Hepburn said it is likely Mr Lewis was intoxicated when the crash happened, and that “there may well have also been an issue with his diabetes and possible hypoglycaemia” due to his alcohol consumption.

Ms Hepburn recorded Mr Lewis’ death as an accident.

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