A CHEF had been drinking on the day he was killed running into the path of a Supertram, a Sheffield inquest heard.
Alcohol was deemed likely to have played a part in the split-second decision which cost Simon Peter David McCloskey his life.
Mr McCloskey, aged 37, was on his way into Sheffield city centre from his home in Walkley in September 2011 when he was hit by the city-bound tram on Netherthorpe Road just after 3pm.
He was taken to the Northern General Hospital but later pronounced dead.
A post-mortem examination carried out on Mr McCloskey, who lived with partner Joanne Hobson, found he died from blood trauma caused by multiple injuries including a skull fracture.
The toxicology report showed 340 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood. Mr McCloskey also had Hepatitis C and was suffering cirrhosis of the liver.
Witnesses told the inquest they saw the keen fisherman use a pedestrian crossing to pass traffic on one side of the road. He passed one empty track but then failed to respond to warnings from the oncoming tram.
Sarah Harrison, who was travelling in a car at the time, said: “I heard the sound of the tram’s horn. I looked across and could see a man. He started to run and I said, ‘I don’t think he’s going to make it’.”
Tram driver Siobhan Adlington broke down as she recalled the incident.
She said: “I rang the bell and got no response, so I held my hand on the horn. I was looking for some acknowledgement. He looked up at me and ran straight across.
“I put the hazard brake on and closed my eyes, then I heard the impact.”
South Yorkshire Police carried out a forensic investigation which found the driver did all she could to try to prevent the collision.
A statement from Miss Hobson described her partner as ‘happy-go-lucky’, but mentioned a drinking habit which saw him down three pints every morning.
Deputy assistant coroner Julian Fox recorded a verdict of accidental death.
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