A family heard how their son was carried for 20m on the bonnet of a car before tumbling to his death beneath the wheels.

Christopher Toomer, 29, was standing in the road chatting to friends when he stepped backwards into the path of the oncoming car, an inquest at Haywards Heath heard yesterday.

Craig Harrad, of Station Road, Horsted Keynes, told coroner Roger Stone how he slammed on the brakes but was unable to avoid Mr Toomer.

Mr Toomer, of Pasture Hill Road, Haywards Heath, died two days later in Hurstwood Park Neurological Hospital.

The crash happened in Hickmans Lane, Haywards Heath, on December 22 last year.

In a statement, Mr Harrad said: "I was not aware of anyone in the road until it was too late. I hit him and I skidded to a halt."

The court heard how Mr Toomer, a sports instructor, had been walking home from a pub.

He stopped to chat to a friend sitting in a car parked at the roadside.

Witnesses described how Mr Toomer appeared to step back into the path of Mr Harrad's Corsa.

Crash investigator Michael Scott said: "Greater care from all parties in this tragic crash may have prevented it."

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death. Mr Toomer's father, Richard, said: "Chris's death has left an enormous hole in our lives."