A LORRY driver who ran over and killed a pensioner in an horrific accident had no chance of seeing her as she walked out into the road, an inquest has heard.

Jeanette Widdrington, 76, died when she was struck by a lorry carrying two diggers in Strood High Street on March 16.

The inquest was told that Mrs Widdrington, who was also known as Janny, and The French Woman, had been shopping in the high street when she walked into the path of slow moving traffic.

Lorry driver Mark Doughty had stopped at a cashpoint to withdraw money about a minute before the accident and had travelled no more than 25 metres before hitting Mrs Widdrington. She died of massive internal and head injuries at the scene.

Bus driver Sandra Whiting had been two to three vehicles behind the lorry and saw the accident happen. She said Mrs Widdrington appeared to be "in a world of her own" and at one point one car weaved around her and another one had to come to a stop as she walked into the road.

She said: "I was about two or three cars behind her and I was just watching her. That's how slow the traffic was. She started to cross the road but she was in her own little world. She walked into the middle of the road and then the lorry just hit her. I just couldn't believe she had walked in front of it."

Mr Doughty said: "I had stopped to withdraw some money from the cash point. I was in the offside lane in a parked position and parked against the curb. I was out of the lorry for less than a minute. The traffic had stopped because the lights were red. I got back into the cab and the traffic was moving.

"I checked my mirrors to make sure that there was no traffic. I had to pull into the middle of the road. There's a sharp turn that goes towards the A228, which I needed to take, so I indicated left.

"As I pulled away I felt a bump but at the time I didn't know what that was. There's quite a few dips and bumps in the road, so I just thought it was one of those. But as I moved away I glanced into my mirror and I saw a woman with her hands on her face screaming and then I saw what had happened."

Mr Doughty addded: "There's no way I could have seen her. The only thing you can see is the bonnet."

Crash investigation officer PC Alan Clayton said tests they had carried out indicated Mrs Widdrington had been in Mr Doughty's blind spot as he pulled away and was unlikely he would have seen her.

Coroner Roger Sykes said he was satisfied Mr Doughty could not have seen Mrs Widdrington.

Verdict: Accident.