An inquest heard that a pedestrian who died in a crash in east Suffolk fell into the path of an HGV trailer as it drove past him.

Robert West, 63, died at the scene of a crash which happened on Friday, August 25 last year in London Road in Wrentham, a stretch of the A12 near Southwold.

An inquest held at Suffolk Coroners’ Court in Ipswich on Monday was attended by several members of Mr West’s family.

A tribute to him written by Mr West’s wife was read aloud by assistant coroner Dr Daniel Sharpstone.

Her husband was, she said, a charming man with many friends and “a bit of a swagger”, who always had a smile on his face.

Eastern Daily Press: Floral tributes were left at the scene of the accident in Wrentham. Image: Daniel HickeyFloral tributes were left at the scene of the accident in Wrentham. Image: Daniel Hickey (Image: Daniel Hickey)

Mr West had trained to be a welder and worked for British Steel for a number of years before retraining as a landscape gardener.

He had led an interesting life, she wrote, and his travels abroad included a two-year stint in Canada when he worked as lumberjack.

The court heard that some years ago, Mr West had ruptured his Achilles tendon in his right foot. This permanently affected his balance.

On the day of the crash, Mr West had spent time in the Horse and Groom pub, chatting with other customers, where he drank two medium glasses of white wine.

A member of staff told the court that she did not think Mr West appeared drunk when he left, although a toxicology report later showed that Mr West was two-and-a-half times over the legal driving limit.

Mr West was happy when he left at about 2.30pm, the bar staff said, and was planning to catch a bus a few metres from the pub before going shopping with his wife.

CCTV footage taken from the pub and the HGV vehicle were used to piece together how the accident came about.

The footage showed Mr West standing by the roadside as the lorry went past, driving at 24mph.

Mr West then appeared to stumble, falling forwards into the wheel arch of the vehicle’s trailer.

The driver stopped and emergency services were called, but Mr West died at the scene.

The presiding coroner, Dr Daniel Sharpstone, delivered a narrative conclusion. He found that Mr West had died as the result of a fall into the path of the HGV, which was contributed to be the alcohol in his system and his impaired mobility.

Mr West’s family who were present in court asked whether the road could be made safer by making the pathway wider, giving pedestrians more space from the roadside.

However, Dr Sharpstone said that he did not believe this would have helped in Mr West’s case.