A man was knocked down by a car after the driver couldn’t see him in heavy rain, an inquest heard.

David Taylor, 63, was crossing the road from his own car when he was struck by Peter Kane’s Toyota Yaris in Hawkinge.

Mr Kane had been unable to see him during a dark evening and “terrible” weather, the hearing was told last Wednesday.

Mr Taylor was thrown onto the windscreen and Mr Kane said: “The window cracked but I saw nothing at all at the time. The weather was terrible. It made it difficult to see him before he hit the car.”

Passenger Jonathan Hayes said: “I noticed a shadow. Then I heard the impact on the windscreen and turned to protect myself because I thought he would go through it.

“Pete stopped the car before the man fell on the pavement.

“I noticed a shadow. Then I heard the impact on the windscreen and turned to protect myself because I thought he would go through it" - Passenger Jonathan Hayes

“The weather was very, very bad and it was pitch black.”

Mr Taylor was struck by the green car at Page Road, Hawkinge, at 6.10pm on Friday, November 8 last year.

He died in hospital from severe head injuries three days later.

Mr Kane and Mr Hayes were returning to their homes in Hawkinge at the time of the tragedy.

He said he was travelling slowly in the driving rain and also had to negotiate S-bends and speed humps.

He said just before the impact he had come round a corner at about 10mph. The car had otherwise not been driven at more than 20mph on the straight.

Mr Taylor had left his own car and was crossing from the right when he was hit.

His head had hit the kerb when he fell and both men then rushed to aid him.

Mr Taylor was still fully conscious and was saying he was responsible for the accident.

Mr Hayes told the hearing: “He said: ‘I’m sorry, I didn’t see you, is your car OK?’”

He said that Mr Taylor repeated saying sorry and that he hadn’t seen them.

Mr Taylor said he wanted to sit up but Mr Hayes, a trained first aider, told him he should stay lying down.

Rachel Redman, Central and South East Kent Coroner, concluded that this was an accidental death.

She said: “This was a tragic accident. He had been crossing the road in appalling weather and he stepped into the path of an oncoming vehicle.”

She told Mr Kane: “I don’t believe there was anything you could have done.”