A 21-YEAR-OLD maintenance worker was crushed to death as his colleague reversed over him on the M20, an inquest heard.

Daniel Tickner, of Barnfield Park, New Ash Green, died of multiple injuries on the London-bound carriageway near junction nine of the motorway at Charing last February.

A bizarre chain of circumstances started when a silver car span out of control, knocking over cones.

Mr Tickner and his colleague Matthew Eaton decided to put them back. But as Mr Eaton, a driver for Bairstead Civil Engineering Limited, reversed he lost sight of Daniel Tickner in his lorry's side mirrors.

It was only the persistent sound of beeping car horns that alerted him, but by then his colleague was trapped underneath. Kent Air Ambulance was called but Mr Tickner died at the scene.

A passing motorist, Michael Hoare, from Ashford, described to the coroner and nine jurors what he had seen.

He said: "I was travelling along the M20 just past junction nine when I had to slow down because there were road works ahead.

"As I slowed down I became aware of a maintenance worker in a high visibility jacket jogging behind a work lorry in the coned off area.

"As I pulled level to the lorry I saw the worker stumble and fall under the lorry. He was trying to grab onto the back of the vehicle to push himself away but he couldn't manage it.

"I beeped my horn to try to alert the driver of the problem and then stopped my car nearby. By this time there were other people on the scene."

In most companies it is normal practice to have a person guide the driver when reversing. This person is called a banksman. But it appears this was not the case at BCE.

Mr Eaton said: "I know what banksmen are used for and we used to have them when I worked in the forces. But this was not the practice at BCE.

"I couldn't keep Danny in my mirrors as he wasn't jogging in a straight line. Obviously if I had known what had happened I would have stopped a lot sooner."

The inquest continues.