A driver had no chance to avoid a collision which led to the death of a popular farm worker.

Robert Kissack, 22, tragically died after being struck by a car in the early hours of Sunday, December 29.

The incident occurred at approximately 3.30am on Whitebridge Road in Onchan, near the Manx Fun Barn. Robert sadly died at the scene and tributes poured in for the popular Crosby man.

The inquest into Robert’s death took place on Thursday where evidence was heard from the driver involved in the fatal collision.

The driver said he had driven from his home in the north of the island in his BMW to pick up two friends from the Outback nightclub in Douglas. They left the capital at around 3.15am and travelled home along the coast road.

On Whitebridge Road he saw a taxi pull into the Fun Barn entrance. The driver was travelling at around 60mph on a section of road where no speed restriction was in place.

He told the inquest: ‘When I first saw the man he was just there in the road. I immediately performed an emergency stop and I tried to turn as well to go round him.

‘But he then briskly walked the same way I was going.’

The driver described the impact before he came to a stop.

He said: ‘I got out and screamed if he was okay. I placed by hand on his neck to try and find a pulse but there was nothing and I could not see him breathing.’

One of the driver’s passengers carried out CPR until the emergency services arrived.

Collision investigator Constable Daniel Joyce provided a report into the incident. He told the inquest he believed the driver would have had little time to react.

He said: ‘It was extremely dark, and you could not see your hand in front of your face. I do not think there would have been any opportunity for the driver to brake any earlier than he did.’

An inspection of the vehicle found no defects which would have contributed to the collision.

Evidence was also heard from a friend of Robert who met her in the Outback that evening.

They took a taxi to a house party at a property near the Fun Barn but she left not long after and Robert walked with her to where the taxi was picking her up.

He decided to stay at the house party and was walking away when he was struck by the vehicle.

She described being ‘in shock’ and saw that the driver was ‘traumatised’.

In her statement, the friend said: ‘The next day I learnt Robert had died. I was devastated.

‘He loved life and was always smiling. He lit up a room and looked out for everyone. He had this protective energy about him.’

The two passengers travelling in the driver’s car also described how the journey had been ‘normal’, and their friend was driving safely.

One of them said: ‘There was nothing [the driver] could have done to avoid the man.’

The driver was arrested at the scene. But no drugs or alcohol were found in his system, and he was never charged with any offence.

A postmortem carried out found Robert died due to head injuries as a result of the collision.

Coroner James Brooks delivered a verdict of ‘accidental’ death. He praised the actions of those at the scene who tried to save Robert’s life and passed his condolences on to his family and friends.