A MAN died of his injuries 31 years after being struck by a van.

John Crosland was not expected to survive after suffering a severe traumatic brain injury at the age of 23 in 1988.

But he went on to live until May last year, receiving round-the-clock care in a specialist nursing home.

A Bournemouth inquest heard Mr Crosland, who was brought up in the Bovington area, died on May 23, 2019, in the Shelley Park Neuro Care Centre in Florence Road in Boscombe.

Assistant Dorset coroner Brendan Allen was told Mr Crosland had been out for the evening with one of his brothers when the accident happened.

Another brother, Tony Crosland, told the inquest the two men were walking to the pub when John stopped to tie his shoelaces.

He said: “As he stood up he was hit from behind by a van.

“We were told he probably would not survive.”

The coroner was told that Mr Crosland, who was 54 when he died, went to Bovington Primary and Middle Schools, and also attended Purbeck School.

Before the accident he worked for the Forestry Commission and for Dorset County Council.

He was divorced and had two daughters.

Mr Crosland had lived at the Shelley Park centre since 1996 and had complex needs, the inquest earlier this week heard.

He had carers to help him wash, dress and feed and also received therapy for speech and language and for behaviour management.

Shelley Park deputy manager Samantha Tuite said Mr Crosland’s condition had deteriorated in April last year, and he had begun to suffer from recurrent chest infections before his death.

Recording a conclusion that Mr Crosland died as a consequence of a road traffic collision, Mr Allen said: “Mr Crosland was a pedestrian at the time of the collision.

“He was struck by a vehicle and as a consequence suffered seizures and was susceptible to chest infections.”