A SECOND World War veteran died after being struck by a Ford Transit van on a busy road, an inquest was told.

Murray Shillington, 91, of Scott Street, Padiham, died just yards from his home after he stepped off the pavement to cross Padiham Road, but did not see any oncoming vehicles.

An inquest heard that Mr Shillington, who served in India as a medical orderly during the war, was crossing the road to catch a bus towards Burnley when the accident happened on April 27 this year.

He walked into the front-side of the yellow Ford Transit, driven by Sam Whittaker, giving him no time to take evasive action.

Mr Whittaker, who was heading home to Padiham for lunch when the accident happened at around 12.30pm, was about to turn into a petrol station and said he was concentrating on the road and vehicles obstructing the entrance.

He said he had noticed Mr Shillington on the pavement, but did not take much notice as he did not look like he was about to cross the road.

“The next time I noticed him he went down the side of the vehicle,” he said.

“I stopped the van and got out, but somebody was already calling an amb-ulance, and a former paramedic and nurse were on the scene.”

Andrew Bamford, who witnessed the incident, said he could see it was “an accident waiting to happen” when Mr Shillington walked to cross the road but did not look for any oncoming traffic.

He said he “turned away at the moment of collision and turned back after I had heard it and ran over to try to help”.

PC Phillip Walker, who investigated the crash, said Mr Whittaker was travelling at no more than 30mph, the legal speed limit, at the time.

He said: “In this case the damage to the vehicle suggests the pedestrian has struck the vehicle, rather than the other way round.”

East Lancs coroner Richard Taylor recorded an accidental verdict, and told Mr Whittaker there was nothing he could have done to prevent the accident.