A devoted father walking home from a pub was killed in a collision with a police car responding to a 999 call, a coroner's court has heard.
A Life Cut Short on Yardley Road
Roger Bagnall, a 40-year-old shop worker, suffered what were described as 'unsurvivable' injuries after being struck on Yardley Road in Acocks Green, Birmingham. The fatal incident occurred on March 19 last year.
Mr Bagnall had been enjoying a half-day off work with friends at a local Wetherspoons pub. His partner, Sheralee Huband, told Birmingham Coroner's Court he was excited about having the following day and weekend booked off.
"He promised he would be home for 5.30pm," Ms Huband stated. She last saw him at 2.55pm as he left to meet a friend, a journey that was only a ten-minute walk from their home.
The Final Hours and a Tragic Knock at the Door
Ms Huband recounted that Mr Bagnall had phoned twice, first to say he was having his last drink, and later to inform her another friend had arrived so he would stay a bit longer. The last communication she received from him was a photo message sent at 6.27pm, showing him and his friend in the pub.
"I was in the house with the children waiting for him to come home," she said. "Instead of him, it was his mate. He was screaming on the doorstep and crying, and saying 'Roger has been hit by a police car, he stepped out into the road thinking he could get across.'"
The road was subsequently taped off by police in both directions following the pedestrian death.
An Inquest Seeking Answers
The ongoing inquest, which began this week, will examine several critical points. The hearing will determine Mr Bagnall's official cause of death and scrutinise whether the West Midlands Police vehicle was being driven in accordance with force policy during the emergency response.
The court will also review the emergency services' response to the collision itself.
In a heartfelt pen portrait read to the court, Ms Huband painted a picture of a beloved family man. "He was the kind of person who could fill a room with laughter, always with a funny story or joke to tell," she said. "He was so full of life. He had a personality that you just gravitated towards."
She described him as a devoted dad who was the centre of his family's world. "He filled our home with love and laughter. We cannot put into words how much he is loved and missed by all of us."
The inquest continues.
