A PEDESTRIAN died after he failed to look properly before crossing the road, an inquest was told.

Ernest Norman was trying to cross Loose Road, Maidstone, near to the junction with Cripple Street and Boughton Lane, when he was in collision with a lorry.

The 78-year-old pensioner, of Mayfair Avenue, Maidstone, was taken to hospital with head injuries, but died two days later.

Witness Lorna High was walking in Cripple Street and stood next to Mr Norman as he tried to cross to the Boughton Lane side at around 4pm on February 13 this year.

“He decided to take a chance and went straight into the middle of the road,” she said.

Miss High, said Mr Norman made it across one lane of traffic and had crossed the Cripple Street filter lane. He was just about to cross the far lane when he was struck by the side of a lorry.

“He failed to look left before stepping out,” she said.

The lorry driver was found to have been travelling well within the 30mph limit.

Verdict: accidental death.