A MAN drove into a bridge on his first outing in a car that had been adapted for his artificial leg, a coroner heard at an inquest in Dorchester.

David Smith had driven his modified Peugeot 106 away from his Lyme Regis home after telling his wife that he was just going to start it up.

Patricia Smith told Deputy West Dorset Coroner Alan Horne that she looked out of the window and saw her husband driving off down Hill Road.

She said rushed out and shouted to him to stop. She said: “The engine was revving and revving and he had a most terrified look on his face. I couldn’t do anything else but stand there and wait for the bang.”

The impact happened as the car sped to the bottom of the road and hit Gosling Bridge.

Mark Wheeler, landlord of the Angel Inn, told how he saw the vehicle speed past his pub and heard the impact. He went to help Mr Smith, 66, and then heard a shouted warning from a passer-by that the car was on fire.

He recalled: “There were flames coming out from the bonnet so I grabbed him and pulled him out.”

He moved Mr Smith across the road and then led him further away as the fire took hold.

The coroner heard from Susan Wiscombe that she saw the white Peugeot as she started to cross the road but then realised the speed of it.

She stated that the revving engine and speed made her think it was a boy racer. Then she saw the car smash into the bridge. She spotted the flames and shouted a warning.

Although Mr Smith was conscious after the accident in May he later died in hospital in Dorchester. A post mortem examination revealed death was due to pulmonary odema and bronchial pneumonia, multiple rib fractures and ischemic heart disease.

Mr Smith was known for his dedication to Charmouth Football Club and the Lyme Regis and District Skittle League.

The horror of the fire was captured by photographer Peter Wiles who saw the drama unfold outside his home and supplied photos to police accident investigator Christina Wales.

PC Wales said she had never seen that type of modification before and believed it was possible Mr Smith used the accelerator instead of the brake.

Mr Horne recorded a verdict of accidental death.