A CAR involved in an accident which killed a pensioner on a snowy rural road was like an out-of-control sledge, a coroner has said.

Graham Maloney died from multiple head injuries after the car clipped his own vehicle, which was stuck at the side of the rural road in Clayton last Boxing Day.

The 75-year-old experienced driver was on his way back from a family celebration with his wife, Molly, when their car slid into the kerb in atrocious weather conditions.

The grandfather-of-five had got out to push when an Vauxhall Astra, driven by Jonathan Mattocks, of Halifax, skidded out of control and tapped the back of the Peugeot 206, Bradford Coroner's Court heard today.

Bradford coroner Martin Fleming said: "The car was like an out of control sledge, added to that was the gravity of the road."

A distraught Mr Mattocks wiped away tears as he described wrestling with his car to avoid hitting the Peugeot, then suddenly seeing Mr Maloney on the bonnet.

Mr Maloney, described as a much-loved family man, then slid off the car and ended up between the bumper of the Astra and a stone wall.

Mr Mattocks, whose mother, Shirley, was with him when the accident happened, said he had seen another car on the lane so decided it would be okay to take that route.

His car had been crawling at just a couple of miles an hour when he saw the Peugeot ahead of him. He braked hard to avoid it but the gravity of the downward road and the heavy snow made it impossible to stop.

The impact shunted the Peugeot towards a stone wall with such force Mrs Maloney's glasses fell off into the passenger footwell. She got out of the car to shout for her husband of 52 years because she could not see him - but there was no reply.

The Astra had gone on to slide away from the Peugeot further along the road with Mr Maloney, of Ferndale Avenue, Clayton, trapped under it.

Other cars, including a cab, stopped with people trying to help until paramedics and police arrived. Despite efforts to save Mr Maloney he was confirmed dead at the scene.

Mr Maloney's son, John Maloney, told the court: "I think it was an evening where the weather came down so quick. If my dad made a call that the road was safe to go down then I can appreciate other drivers did the same. We have accepted it was an accident."

Summing up that Mr Maloney died as a result of a road traffic collision, Mr Fleming told Mr Mattocks: "You were not driving carelessly or recklessly. You did everything you possibly could to control it, but you were overtaken by the atrocious weather conditions and that's something that has caused you massive distress and probably will all your life."

No police action was taken.