Popular man hit by car in road ‘died instantly’:
INQUEST TOLD ‘POPULAR AND POLITE’ MAN WAS LYING DOWN IN ROAD LATE AT NIGHT
A2 2 - Y E AR- O L D tragically died from a “catastrophic” head injury after he was hit by a car while lying in the road.
Jamie Thomas Stubbs was run over on an unclassified road between Amlwch and Rhosgoch on Anglesey on September 4, 2019.
Mr Stubbs, a farm labourer, had been out drinking with friends and had got a taxi home at around 9.45pm.
He decided to get out and walk the last leg of the journey near Pensarn.
An inquest into his death heard that, 10 minutes after he left the taxi, he was struck by Jake Thomas Leaf, who was driving home from work in his Ford Fiesta.
Giving evidence at the inquest in Caernarfon on Thursday, Mr Leaf said he saw what he believed to be a black bin bag in the middle of the road.
He said that he was driving at 50mph but, by the time he realised it was a person, it was “too late to stop”.
Colin Dobbins, senior forensic crash investigator for North Wales Police, said Mr Stubbs was “clearly lying down in the road” when he was hit.
He said it was impossible to say whether or not he was conscious at the time of the collision.
Mr Stubbs died instantly and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mr Dobbins said: “Mr Stubbs was lying with his head facing towards Amlwch around 40cm from the centre lane.
“He suffered a catastrophic head injury in what was in my opinion an unavoidable collision.
“Following my investigation, it is perfectly feasible that the driver misidentified the man in the road.
“It was dark and difficult to appreciate the presence of a pedestrian.
“He would have run him over before he had the chance to brake.”
Toxicology results showed that Mr Stubbs had 161mg of alcohol in his system – just over twice the legal limit for driving.
Assistant Coroner Katie Sutherland concluded that Mr Stubbs had died as a result of the “serious head injury”.
Following his tragic death, Mr Stubbs’ family issued a tribute saying: “Jamie was very much loved by his Mum, Dad, Brother and Sister and will be sadly missed.”
His friends flooded social media with tributes, with many describing him as a “popular and polite” individual.