A 49-year-old man died after stepping out in front of a car on the A1, an inquest heard.

John Dawson, of Colmworth Gardens, Eaton Socon, was killed when he walked in front of a Nissan Navara that was travelling north-bound on the stretch of road towards the Little Paxton junction on April 10.

An inquest held at Lawerence Court, Huntingdon on Thursday (September 17) heard that the 49-year-old had been walking along the dual carriageway for around two hours before he was struck by the car.

The driver of the Nissan, Michael Ray told the court: “Suddenly I recall a green flash to my right and an impact to my front windscreen and my rear passenger window.”

At the time of the incident Mr Ray hadn’t realised what he hit, after pulling up on the side of the road he called his brother and decided to go up to the next junction and come back.

“I could see where the collision had happened and where my headlights had broken; we stopped in the next area and could see something on my right, there was nothing we could to do help.”

On the day of the incident, Mr Dawson had told his family that he was going out for a walk and would “be back in half an hour”.

It was later discovered that he had tidied his room and left his mobile phone and keys in the house which was, the inquest heard, unusual behaviour for him.

Coroner David Morris was told that Mr Dawson was suffering from a personality disorder and mental health issues as a result of a serious head injury suffered in 2009.

A family member, who was present at the inquest, said: “He got beaten by a group of youths when he was taking his dog for a walk in the park, they stamped on his head, and he had 120 bleeds to the brain. They left him for dead.”

According to consultant psychiatrist Dr Ulrich Muller Mr Dawson also had a history of depression.

David Morris, assistant coroner for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough recorded a conclusion that Mr Dawson took his own life.

He said: “Mr Dawson stepped out onto the carriageway and received several head and chest injuries.

“I think the tidying of his room and setting out of belongings and pockets is significant for me.

“It was clear that Mr Dawson was not trying to get to one side of the A1, he was hanging around for quite a considerable amount of time.”