A NORTH YORKSHIRE traffic camera recorded the last movements of a driver who fell from the top of his car transporter and later died, an inquest was told.

Patrick Kick, 59, received serious head injuries while delivering cars to Barker Smith car garage in Welham Road, Norton, on Thursday March 22.

Experienced driver Mr Kick, of Martyr Close, Dorchester, never regained consciousness and died of his injuries four days later.

The inquest at Pickering heard yesterday how, by chance, a nearby traffic camera recorded Mr Kick's final actions as he unloaded cars from the top of his transporter.

John Micklethwaite, of the Health and Safety Executive, described how Mr Kick was seen to climb up to unload a Renault Clio before disappearing from the camera's view.

"The car is very rounded and smooth and if he had over balanced there would have been nothing to grab on to," said Mr Micklethwaite.

He said the transporter, which had no safety rails, was parked at an awkward angle, with the rigid part of the vehicle on a slight angle. The Clio was parked in such a way that an extended foot platform, for use by drivers as they get in and out of the cars, was particularly narrow.

Another lorry driver, Alan Derbyshire, of York Street, Dunnington, witnessed the accident after he stopped to ask for directions at the garage.

"As I walked back to my lorry I saw something fall just at the edge of my eyesight, he said.

"He hit the ground head first, followed by his steel toe-capped boots."

The distance from the top of the lorry to the ground was 2.8m and rain had fallen earlier that day.

North Yorkshire East area Coroner Michael Oakley said there was no reason to believe that Mr Kick blacked out or suffered a dizzy spell before his fall.

"When Mr Kick has gone to get into the car not only has he been at an angle, but when he has got near to the car the extended platform is cut away and it is from there that he has fallen," he said.

Following a number of similar accidents the Health and Safety Executive has issued guidelines concerning transporters to the road haulage industry, although safety rails remain non-compulsory.

The nine-member jury returned a verdict of death by misadventure.

Updated: 11:18 Tuesday, September 04, 2001