THE man whose reversing truck crushed a lorry driver to death has told an inquest of his upset over the incident.

Devastated Steven Wailey said he was returning from Bacup with an empty trailer on the day of the accident at an industrial yard in Swinton which killed Danny Adams.

Father-of-two Mr Adams spoke with him just moments before the fatal manoeuvre — even offering Mr Wailey's brother a job, Bolton Coroner's Court was told yesterday.

Mr Wailey said he had phoned ahead to see where he should park his trailer at the yard in Lumns Lane, and was told to use a spot in Mr Adams' section, rented by his firm, D Adams Haulage Contractors.

After their conversation, which lasted between one and two minutes, Mr Wailey spent up to ten minutes positioning his vehicle to reverse into the space, which he agreed was "tight and difficult", but the only one left available.

Mr Wailey described how he was reversing his truck at an angle because of the layout of the yard, and said he pulled forwards after reversing into the space because he feared he was getting too close to Mr Adams' vehicle.

He then saw Mr Adams lying on the embankment on the driver's side of the lorry.

Mr Wailey said: "Once I saw Danny in my mirror I stopped, that was it. He was lying on the floor. He was on the embankment.

"He was talking and I rang for an ambulance straight away. I asked him if he was all right.

"He said 'you hit me and I thought you saw me'. That was when I knew he was hurt."

Mr Adams, who had rolled his body from behind the lorry and on to the embankment, complained of his legs being cold, the hearing was told.

The father-of-three was detaching his trailer from his cabin when the collision occurred, the court heard.

Mr Adams died in hospital from a cardiac arrest after multiple organ failure two days after the accident.

He had sustained a fractures to his ribs and pelvis, a liver laceration and a ruptured bladder.

The court was told that Mr Wailey, who at the time worked for Alec Sharples Farm Supplies and Transport Limited, was very upset after the accident, to which he said: "I'm upset now".

Asked how he had not seen him, Mr Wailey said: "I have not got a clue. I have been thinking it about it ever since the accident but I have not got a clue.

"I am sorry that I cannot answer you."

The hearing has heard previously how Mr Wailey had to reverse into the space at an angle because of the yard's layout, meaning what he could see in his side mirrors would be restricted.

The inquest continues.