A PEDESTRIAN who stepped into the path of a seven-and-a-half tonne cattle lorry was “at his happiest in life”.

John Keogh, of Hollows Close, died of traumatic brain injuries 11 days after being hit by a livestock lorry on Harnham Road last August.

The 58-year-old had been on his way to a local gardening group when he stepped into the road without looking, at about 8.30am on August 15.

The driver of the lorry, Peter Ings from Sandleheath, said he spotted Mr Keogh stood on the side of the road near a bus stop.

“As I approached I noticed him walking towards the road, so I covered my brake pedal, not really thinking I would have to use it,” he said.

“I didn’t believe that he was going to try and cross the road, because I was so close.

“He broke into a bit of a jog and I thought, ‘you’re not going to stop and neither can I’.

“He looked up at me, he was probably two yards in front of me. It was the first time he looked in my direction at all.”

Giving evidence, Anne Dawson said she had been driving towards the cattle lorry when Mr Keogh stepped out.

“He looked my way and then went to run across the road,” she said. “I don’t remember him looking the other way at all.”

At an inquest on Monday, Salisbury Coroner’s Court heard that Mr Keogh had learning difficulties which meant he needed support from Inspire, an assisted living charity.

But his support worker Kelly Elkady described him as “very safe and confident” around roads, adding: “I have never known him to take any chances at all with traffic.”

She said Mr Keogh had called her the previous evening to tell her he had had a good day.

“John was the happiest I have ever seen him, he was at a good place in his life,” she said.

His sister Noelle said John had “blossomed and flourished” since Inspire became involved in his life, as he had previously been bored and lonely, and targeted by “bullies” who saw him as an “easy target”.

In a statement she said: “I would describe Inspire as being the nearest thing to angels, they turned his life around in just six months. He no longer felt alone.”

Coroner Claire Balysz said Mr Keogh had died as a result of traumatic brain injuries from the crash, and said the collision had been “inevitable”.

Following his death, Mr Keogh’s organs were donated, giving two people a new lease of life. His family said: “At last John became the hero we always knew he was.”