A MAN died after his broken down vehicle was hit by a speeding car on the QEII Bridge, an inquest heard.

Dad-of-three Michael Lucas, 63, suffered multiple injuries on the A282 approach road to the bridge on May 4, last year.

Yesterday, an inquest into the married family man's death heard how despite investigation it was not clear why Mr Lucas's blue Vauxhall Nova came to a standstill in such a precarious position.

Police accident investigator PC Ian Davidson told the inquest how the engine in Mr Lucas's car had not seized up.

He may have run out of petrol or the car could have suffered an electrical fault which resulted in it coming to a standstill, he said.

The inquest in Chelmsford heard Mr Lucas's car had been stationary for just 85 seconds when at around 7.30pm, a Citroen Xsara Picasso driven by Graham Rooney, in his sixties, ploughed into the back of him at a speed of up to 70 mph. The limit for the road is 50mph.

Criminal proceedings are now active against Mr Rooney, who chose not to speak.

Mr Lucas, of Pembury, Kent, whose wife Kate, 59, and three daughters were present at the inquest, was taken to Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford where he died.

Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded a verdict of death as a result of a road traffic collision.