A PEDESTRIAN died and the driver whose car hit him was hurt in a second collision on York's outer ring road early today.

The incident closed the A1237 between the Haxby Road and Wigginton Road roundabouts for nearly six hours and caused widespread congestion.

The man who died, who was in his 20s and believed to be a student, was walking along the road just before 3am with another man when he was hit by a Land Rover Discovery, which was driving towards Clifton Moor.

The driver of the Discovery, Michael McGregor, 35, of Eastholme Drive, York, stopped and got out to help the man, and was then hit himself by a red Ford Mondeo travelling in the opposite direction. He suffered head injuries.

They were both taken to York District Hospital, where the pedestrian later died. Police have not revealed his identity.

Mr McGregor was later discharged from hospital. The Mondeo driver was uninjured.

Sergeant Nigel Atkinson said: "It would appear that the man who died was walking in the middle of the road at the time he was struck.

"We are appealing for information from anybody who was travelling along the A1237 and may have seen these pedestrians or the Land Rover or the Mondeo."

He said the section of the road had been closed for traffic police to carry out their investigations.

"We apologise for the severe disruption to traffic. In the event of a death, we obviously have to investigate," he said.

There was massive congestion on roads across the north of York and coming into the city after the accident. Rush hour travel was badly delayed on Haxby Road, Wigginton Road, the A19 and the A59, as well as the outer ring road after it reopened.

And City of York Council said the effect stretched across York.

Peter Evely, head of highways regulation, said: "The area around Malton Road, Huntington Road and down to Clarence Street really took a fair bit of a hit."

Updated: 10:54 Tuesday, October 30, 2001