A DRIVER who flashed her lights to warn that a man had fallen in the road accidentally blinded another motorist - causing them to kill the pedestrian.
KEITH Wrightson, 62, was walking home with his son from a football match in Scarborough when he tripped and fell into the road.
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Keith Wrightson, pictured with wife Gill, was walking home from a football match when he was tragically killed
Driver Danielle Fardoe saw the retired merchant navy captain fall and flashed her lights to warn oncoming drivers as Mr Wrightson's son frantically tried to alert other cars.
But BMW driver Vignesh Chandrasekar said he was blinded by Ms Fardoe's lights and hit Mr Wrightson, who died from fatal chest injuries, the Daily Mail reports.
Mr Wrightson's son Luke told an inquest his dad had been watching Scarborough Athletic and visiting pubs with pals and relatives in the town on the day he died.
Driver Mr Chandrasekar said he didn't see Luke telling him to stop and by the time he saw his dad lying in the road, it was too late to stop.
The inquest in Northallerton, North Yorks, heard Mr Chandrasekar was likely to have been affected by "disability glare" - a phenomenon that can be caused by bright oncoming headlights.
Luke Wrightson explained his dad was just ahead of him when he lost his footing and fell in the road, lying perpendicular with his head towards the centre of the road.
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Luke immediately went to help him and began flagging down the oncoming car to stop.
The 33-year-old told the hearing: "I realised the car was not going to stop.
"I started panicking, shouting 'stop' among other things but it became clear to me that it was too late and I had to get out of the way.
"At the last minute I dived towards the pavement and the grass. I'm not sure but I think my trailing leg was caught by the car."
He added: "When I gathered myself after the car had gone past, I was looking for my dad.
"I had heard a bang as it happened. From what I remember I proceeded around the back end of the car and then looked underneath it and saw my dad, who was bleeding and unresponsive."
A forensic pathologist told the hearing she believed Mr Wrightson was killed by the impact of the crash, which caused fatal chest injuries and 49 rib fractures.
'BLIND-SIDED'
Questioned by the Wrightson family's lawyer Dominic Adamson, QC, as to why he did not stop, Mr Chandrasekar said Miss Fardoe's flashing lights had temporarily 'blind-sided' him.
He said she flashed them once, then "frantically" before a steady full beam.
Mr Chandrasekar said: "A single flash turned to frantic flashing. I was puzzled as to why that might be. I looked at the controls of my vehicle, including my lights in case they were on full beam.
"I also checked for warning lights in case there was something wrong with my vehicle."
Mr Adamson asked him: "Did you see Luke Wrightson waving his arms?"
He replied: "I did not."
Mr Chandrasekar said he remembered seeing Mr Wrightson lying in the road only moments before his car went over him.
Police accident investigator Sgt Ken Riley told the inquest that Mr Chandrasekar was likely to have been affected by "disability glare" and said studies had shown it takes an average of three and five seconds for drivers' eyes to recover.
It was not known, however, exactly where Miss Fardoe's car was in relation to Mr Wrightson, and so the impact it had on the crash was impossible to conclude.
Assistant coroner John Broadbridge adjourned the hearing until December 6 when it is expected to conclude.