The family of a talented young footballer from Workington killed on the A595 have described him as being 'like a meteor' who 'lit up the sky while he was here'.
Cain Lee Pears, 20, died after being struck by a car on the Distington bypass in the early hours of May 26 last year.
An inquest at Allerdale House in Workington heard Mr Pears, of Ellerbeck Lane, had spent the previous day socialising with friends in Workington and Whitehaven before deciding to make his way home.
His family described him as 'the most wonderful son that anyone could wish for' and said he had packed an enormous amount into his short life.
A keen footballer from childhood, Mr Pears had played for a number of clubs and represented Workington Reds' first team on several occasions.
He had also studied a football scholarship near Stoke, aged 16 to 17, and was described by his family as a natural leader who was often made captain.
They said: "There was really nothing he couldn't do on a football pitch."
Mr Pears had most recently been working with Thomas Armstrong while studying at Lakes College to become a quantity surveyor.
His family said he was excelling in the role and had been saving towards buying his first home with his girlfriend, while looking forward to progressing in his career and eventually starting a family.
They described him as witty, supportive, charming, kind and hard-working, adding: "His smile and his laugh were contagious. He genuinely lit up any room that he entered."
The final hours
The inquest heard Mr Pears had been drinking with friends during the afternoon and evening of May 25, initially in Workington before the group travelled by train to Whitehaven.
At about 1.20am the following morning, Mr Pears told his friend Samuel Charge he was ready to leave.
Mr Charge said Mr Pears was 'quite drunk', but was not staggering or falling over and appeared sensible enough to know he was ready to go home.
Mr Pears did not say how he intended to return to Workington and Mr Charge thought he 'might have arranged a lift'.
Around 25 minutes later, his remaining friends also left and eventually took a taxi back to Workington, believing Mr Pears had already gone.
They continued exchanging messages with him during the early hours, initially believing he had made his own way back.
Senior Coroner Kirsty Gomersal found Mr Pears' whereabouts between leaving his friends at about 1.20am and around 2.45am were unknown.
At about 2.45am, motorists began seeing him walking towards Workington on the A595 on the outskirts of Whitehaven.
Further sightings followed as he approached and entered the Distington bypass.
Taxi driver Martin Volkaerts said he had to move his vehicle to avoid Mr Pears after unexpectedly seeing him close to the carriageway.
He later said: "I wish he had waved because I would have picked him up."
At 3.14am, Mr Pears sent his friends a message indicating he was 'running home' and sent photographs which police said appeared to show the Distington bypass.
Around a minute later, at approximately 3.15am, he was struck by a Ford Fiesta driven by Luke Hodgson.
His friends still believed he had made it home and only became concerned the following morning when they saw reports of a fatal collision on the bypass and realised Mr Pears was no longer reading or responding to their messages.
The inquest heard Mr Hodgson did not drink alcohol and was acting as a designated driver for friends.
‘No time to respond’
Forensic collision investigator PC Edward Mann said data from the vehicle showed it had been travelling at 68mph shortly before the collision, within the 70mph speed limit.
His examination placed Mr Pears towards the right-hand side of lane one, close to the line dividing the two lanes, when he was struck.
PC Mann said Mr Hodgson would have had around 1.1 to 2.2 seconds to detect Mr Pears, recognise the danger and react on the dark, unlit road.
Mr Hodgson tested negative for alcohol and drugs and passed an eyesight test, while excessive speed, distraction, fatigue, road conditions and the weather were ruled out as contributing factors.
PC Mann concluded Mr Hodgson's reaction was within the range reasonably expected of a driver.
Ms Gomersal accepted his evidence and found Mr Hodgson did not have sufficient time to respond to Mr Pears' presence and could not have avoided the collision.
Mr Pears' death was confirmed at 3.21am.
Toxicology showed he had 187mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, with no other substances detected.
Ms Gomersal said the alcohol would have affected his perception of danger, but stressed this was 'no criticism at all' of Mr Pears.
She said walking home alone along the bypass was entirely out of character and described his friends as a sensible group who had been shocked to discover what he had done.
The coroner recorded a conclusion of road traffic collision.
The medical cause of death was given as blunt force spine and head injuries, with Mr Pears having been a pedestrian in a road traffic collision.
Safety concerns
The inquest also heard PC Huck, who had worked in the Whitehaven area for over 11 years, had dealt with several previous reports of pedestrians walking on the bypass in darkness and had personally removed people from it on three or four occasions.
Ms Gomersal said she was concerned another death could occur at the location if action was not taken.
She stopped short of making a formal Prevention of Future Deaths report but said she would write to the Cumbria Road Safety Partnership asking it to consider whether warnings could be introduced for pedestrians and drivers, and whether pedestrian access to the bypass could be prohibited.
Mr Pears' family said they felt 'truly honoured and privileged' to have been part of his 20 years and said he had left a lasting impression on everyone he encountered.
They said: "He is missed each and every day, morning, noon and night, and he will be forever.
"If love could bring him back, it would."
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