The death of an elderly Chislehurst man remains a mystery after an inquest heard how he stepped straight in front of traffic.

Cyril Carey, 84, was hit by an Audi car in White Horse Hill, Chislehurst, near the junction with Beanshaw at around 10am on December 14 last year.

The Waldon Avenue resident was standing outside The Hill Surgery when he stepped into the road.

Coroner Selena Lynch read accounts from various eyewitnesses, including Alana Hughes.

Miss Hughes, who noticed Mr Carey when she was driving down the road, said: "He seemed drunk. I thought he would stop but he didn't."

Fellow eyewitness Susan Murphy told the police: "He fell like his legs had been taken away. Like he had slipped on a banana skin."

Wayne Sharratt said in his statement: "He just did not seem to see the cars.

"The driver in front of me swerved to avoid the man who just kept on walking. He was not looking left or right.

"Then he walked straight into a car. He hit the bonnet and flipped like a ragdoll.

"The driver was not to blame at all.

"We found him lying on the road bleeding from the back of his head."

The driver of the Audi which hit Mr Carey, Georgia Adams, told police shortly after the accident: "I was driving along and saw an elderly man, who I was cautious of.

"All of a sudden he had gone over the side of my car."

The coroner said: "It is obvious from her statement she was visibly distressed throughout the interview."

A post-mortem examination gave Mr Carey's cause of death as head injury and secondary causes as lung disease and heart disease.

The inquest also heard how he had suffered from various other conditions including poor eye health.

The verdict recorded was road traffic collision.

Mrs Lynch said: "It is a mystery.

"He was not diagnosed with dementia. His glaucoma may have contributed to his death."