A HAMPSHIRE man knelt down in the middle of a busy main road and was hit by a coach travelling at 60mph, an inquest was told.

The court was shown dramatic dash cam footage of Connor Johnson kneeling in the left lane of the A31, with his hands outstretched, waiting to die as the coach hurtled towards him.

He died instantly in the collision near Poulner Hill, Ringwood, on April 30.

Recording a verdict of suicide, Senior Corner Grahame Short said the coach driver had no time to avoid the impact, and that the Ringwood man’s choice to walk into the road was a deliberate act that he knew would result in his death.

Moments earlier the 22-year-old had been part of an altercation with other road users after crashing his father’s grey Peugeot – hitting a lamp post and coming to rest on a grass verge by the road.

Joseph Macintosh and Michael Dean, who witnessed the Peugeot crash, told the court that they went to see if Mr Johnson was alright. They said he was abusive and clearly drunk, but uninjured. He was shouting, swearing, and ranting about the upcoming general election.

When the pair attempted to leave the area, Mr Johnson climbed onto the bonnet of Mr Dean’s van and refused to get off. Mr Dean physically removed Mr Johnson from the van and drove off.

Karen Wilson, who saw the altercation from her bedroom window in Eastfield Lane said: “He was shouting ‘Just run me over’ at both of them.”

Pathologist, Dr Vipul Foria said that Mr Johnson, of Hightown Gardens, died of multiple injuries, and was two and a half times over the drink-drive limit at the time of his death.

The inquest heard how the pub catering manager had taken his father’s car without his consent to go and see some girls he had been talking to on social media.

His sister, Caitlyn Johnson, said that her brother had called her earlier in the evening and told her he wanted to kill himself.

The court heard that Mr Johnson had Asperger’s syndrome, had a long history of alcohol and substance abuse and had made previous attempts to end his life.

At the time of his death he was not receiving any treatment, and was not on any medication for his Asperger’s, or substance abuse.

After the inquest, Mr Johnson’s family said: “It was such a devastating shock and still is, we really miss him and all his unique ways, especially his huge hugs and cheeky smile.

"No matter what happened in Connor’s life, he always found a way to pick himself up.

"He will be forever in our hearts and minds and life will never be the same without him.”