A 53-year-old father of two was accidentally knocked down and killed by a colleague as he walked to work, an inquest heard.

John McMasters, of Marley View, Crossflatts, was in collision with a Ford Focus car on Royd Ings Avenue, Keighley, close to the junction with Bradford Road, at about 5.40am, on November 11, 2004.

Mr McMasters, a paint sprayer, was walking to Magnet where he worked.

He suffered fatal head injuries and died in Airedale Hospital two days later without regaining consciousness.

At Tuesday's Bradford inquest into his death, it emerged the driver of the car, Howard Smith, of Atalanta Terrace, Halifax, worked at the same firm.

It was not known whether the two men knew each other.

Investigations into the collision suggested that Mr Smith had been turning right into Royd Ings Avenue as Mr McMasters crossed from the driver's offside.

Accident investigation officer PC Mark Lingard estimated the car's speed was about 25-30mph.

Damage caused to the vehicle did not suggest any excessive speed. When Mr Smith spoke to an officer at the scene, he said he had not seen Mr McMasters before hitting him.

But PC Lingard told coroner Roger Whittaker that Mr McMasters was "there to be seen".

The officer was shown a photograph of the light-coloured hooded top that the Mr McMasters was wearing at the time and repeated his view.

Recording a verdict of accidental death, Mr Whittaker said Mr McMasters often cut corners on his way to work because there was little traffic about.

One witness to the accident said Mr McMasters was walking diagonally across the road.

Mr Whittaker added that it would therefore have taken him longer to reach the middle of the road where the collision happened.

He said: "He (Mr McMasters) was available to be seen. All the evidence leads me to that conclusion.

"But equally, I am satisfied that Mr McMasters didn't see the car and the car was there to be seen.

"In all the circumstances the only short form conclusion I can reach is that this was a tragic accident."