A BASINGSTOKE man described as "one of a kind" died after he was run over by a car on his way home from the pub following his birthday celebration, an inquest heard. 

David Thomas Lane, 37, of South Ham Road, died at Basingstoke hospital following an incident on Worting Road at around 12.45am on Sunday, July 17, 2022.

An inquest at Winchester Coroner's Court on Wednesday, June 21, heard that Mr Lane was lying down in the middle of the road when he was hit by a blue Ford KA car driver.

The day before his death, Saturday, July 16, was his 37th birthday and Mr Lane was drinking in the afternoon with his friends.

A post-mortem later found that he was 3.3 times over the drink driving limit.

READ MORE: 'Popular, funny and a genuine good guy': Tributes paid to Basingstoke man who died in collision on Worting Road

Senior coroner Christopher Wilkinson said in his conclusion that it is not known if Mr Lane misstepped and fell on the road or whether he decided to lie down while walking home.

Mr Wilkinson concluded that Mr Lane's death was accidental and that he died from multiple injuries caused by the crash.

At the inquest, his family paid tribute to Mr Lane, who they called Dave, calling him “one-of-a-kind”.

His wife Paulene, who attended the inquest, said in a written statement that Mr Lane was loving, caring and full of laughter.

“He loved being round by friends even when times were hard,” she said.

She also said her husband had a high tolerance for alcohol, adding: "He never stumbled, never fell over".

READ ALSO: Pedestrian, 37, dies following collision with car in early hours of Sunday morning

The inquest heard from Mrs Lane that her husband was out celebrating his birthday at his regular pub on July 16. The couple's friends were also with him. 

She said Mr Lane seemed very happy during the day and even called it his “best birthday ever”.

Mrs Lane added that Mr Lane was heavily drunk by the time they started walking back home from the pub.

Irked by Mr Lane's behaviour, Mrs Lane started walking ahead, leaving some space between them.

When she approached a friend’s house, she saw them in the kitchen and decided to wait inside, while Mr Lane caught up.

A few minutes later, she heard a loud bang and she ran to the road to find that Mr Lane had been hit.

The court also heard written statements from the driver of the Ford KA and another driver who saw him moments before the crash.

The driver of an Audi, which was travelling eastbound, saw Mr Lane in the road – his head near the centre of the westbound carriageway and his feet near the kerb.

He also saw a car coming from his opposite direction and towards Mr Lane.

The driver of the Audi said he immediately flashed his headlights and honked to alert the car driver.

However, the driver did not see the man and ran over Mr Lane.

The driver said she did not see Mr Lane and that she was blinded by the high-beam headlight of the Audi.

A forensic collision investigation conducted later found that the woman was not exceeding the speed limit, not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and not distracted by her phone.

SEE ALSO: Why do newspapers cover inquests and how do they work?

Investigator Simon Lewis, who gave a statement at the inquest, said he conducted visibility testing and found that the woman could have been blinded by the headlights.

Concluding, Mr Wilkinson told Mrs Lane to avoid blaming herself for her husband’s death as he ruled it an accident. 

He said: “From my understanding of the event, I know that you are carrying some guilt for leaving him behind. I want to tell you there’s nothing that you did wrong. There’s nothing that you should’ve done differently.

“It’s not your fault and you shouldn’t carry any guilt further forward.”