The driver of a car that hit and killed a man lying on a rural road near Hamilton has told a coroner he had no idea what he had hit so didn't go back to investigate.
William Hoskins, 26, died from multiple injuries after being hit by a vehicle on Maychurch Road along State Highway 1B early on 15 January 2012.
David Marcelle, who was towing a loaded trailer, told the Coroners Court in Hamilton on Thursday that he felt one jolt and stopped about 80 metres down the road to check if his vehicle was damaged.
Mr Marcelle said he didn't go back because he was more concerned about his passenger's safety and could see that another car had stopped.
He said he made a judgement at the time not to return, but now knows it was the wrong one.
Mr Marcelle said he thought he may have hit a box or crate but at the time had momentarily looked down at an air conditioning unit.
It wasn't until later in the day when he heard someone had been killed that police were contacted.
Mr Marcelle was originally charged with dangerous driving causing death but this was dropped six months later. He said he now wishes that he had gone back to the scene.
Outside court, William Hoskins' mother, Delwyn Hanna, says hearing the evidence was very difficult. To make things worse, she says David Marcelle could not even say he was sorry for their loss. The family hopes the police will re-look at laying charges.
