A man lay down on a driveway following a night out with friends and died after being run over by a car.
Henry Rafferty, 22, had been making his way home when he laid on the drive of a home in Elwick Road, Hartlepool, on Friday, August 26 last year. A man had then returned to the property, pulling onto the drive in his car and, without seeing Henry, ran him over.
Emergency services were called immediately but, despite their efforts, Henry, from Hartlepool, tragically died at the scene, an inquest has heard. Teesside Coroner's Court heard how a post mortem found that the young transport manager died as a result of torso injuries, reports TeessideLive.
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Having taken samples of blood, a toxicology report found he had alcohol in his system to the equivalent of around three times the drink drive limit. An investigation carried out by Cleveland Police found there were no suspicious circumstances and assistant coroner Karin Welsh described Henry's death as a "tragic accident".
"He had been out socialising. It look as if he was making his way back home," said Ms Welsh. "For some reason, whether he had fallen or lay down, he was on the driveway of a property in Elwick Road, Hartlepool. It was a driveway that led to the rear of a property. It appears that it was not well lit. On this particular evening it appears the gentleman was returning home. He stopped and turned onto the driveway."
After pulling onto the drive, the man and wife got out of the car and made the devastating discovery that the adored 22-year-old was under the vehicle. Emergency services attended but despite efforts to assist him, Henry was declared dead by paramedics at the scene.
Summarising a statement from Henry's family, Ms Welsh added: "He had all of his life ahead of him and sadly that has been taken away. It's a heartbreaking reminder to all of us of the preciousness of life."
After the tragedy, hundreds of people turned to social media to leave heartfelt tributes to the young man, a former pupil at High Tunstall College of Science, who lived in the West Park area of town.
Ms Welsh concluded that Henry died as a result of an accident.
His grieving father, Colin Rafferty, says the whole family have been left devastated. Speaking after the hearing, Colin said: "We can't believe it's happened. We all cry every day. It's just so bad, the pain is unbearable. There were hundreds of people at his funeral. There are hundreds who love him so dearly."
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