Man killed crossing the road seconds after being 'distracted' by receiving a text message

A text advert from a debt management company may have led to a young man's  death, an inquest heard.

Distracted John Daglish, 22, walked into the path of a car, seconds after receiving the message.

His mobile phone, which had been in his hand when he was struck, was found smashed on the carriageway beside him.

His family revealed the text that flashed on his phone was an unsolicited ad from a debt company.

Yesterday, after a coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death at an inquest, John's devastated parents Cheryl Daglish and Steve Collins spoke of their heartache.

Cheryl, 39, said: 'It was just an awful tragic accident and no-one is to blame.

'He must have been distracted in some way.

'He had just got a text message and he could have been reading it but we will never know for sure.

'His phone must have been in his hand but I don't know if he was using it.

'The last text message he got was an advert from one of those debt management companies but we don't know if he was reading that or not, but he was clearly a bit distracted.'

John, of Kenton Bar, Newcastle had just started a new job as a caterer at Newcastle International Airport when he died, last September.

He was crossing Ponteland Road, Newcastle, on his way to work when he was hit by the Audi, driven by student Patrick Hamilton.

Ironically John was not supposed to be working that day. He had swapped shifts to help out a colleague.

John crossed the single-carriageway road shortly after getting off a bus.

Mr Hamilton braked and swerved to avoid him, but John was struck by his car's bumper.

When police and paramedics arrived John was lying in the road and his mobile  phone was found smashed into pieces nearby.

Steve added: 'One text could have changed his life. You can't help thinking, what if?

'You look for blame but then you realise there is no-one to blame.

'It is just  one of those things.' 

John suffered horrific injuries when he was struck by the car.

His leg was badly fractured and a fracture to his skull caused a build-up of pressure on his brain.

Surgeons operated on him in a desperate attempt to relieve the pressure but their efforts were in vain.

'The police were pretty straight up from the beginning - they came and found me and took me to the hospital and told me it's as bad as it gets.

'But I don't think we could take it all in,' Steve added.

'I stayed at his bedside for 16 days.

'We were just talking to him and willing him on but it got to the stage where there wasn't much else to will on.

'The hospital knew they were fighting a lost cause. I was there with him when he died.

'We knew he was going to go that night. It was very peaceful. He just slipped away.

'He would have done anything for anyone. He was just one of those lovely natured people, everybody liked him.'

Cheryl and Steve, 47, met the driver of the car that hit their son for the first time at the inquest at Newcastle Civic Centre.

And the couple, who have three other children, were determined to make sure Mr Hamilton knew they did not blame him for their son's death.

Steve said: 'His life has been turned upside down as well. It's horrific for both families.

'I just said to him 'it wasn't your fault. It was an accident'.

'I hope that will have made things a bit better.'

Returning his verdict, coroner David Mitford said: 'It seems he didn't see the car coming.

'I think it's fair to say all the evidence suggests that Mr Hamilton acted as well as he could.'

Cheryl added: 'He was my first son and we were very close.

'We spent a lot of  time together playing computer games and we liked the same music. He is a big miss.'