A MAN has died following an accident in Cam when his broken down vintage vehicle was struck by a car.

The Second World War Bedford mobile x-ray unit truck had come to a stop on Woodfield Road while on its way to the Lister Tyndale Steam Rally at North Nibley on Friday, July 11.

Sources at the scene said the truck, which had red cross markings, had broken down and had its warning lights on and a warning triangle on the road when it was hit by a Mitsubishi Space Wagon Classic just before 6pm.

The driver of the Bedford, aged 67, was from Stroud and known as John.

He is believed to have been carrying out work underneath the vehicle when it was hit and was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic shortly afterwards.

Accident investigators were at the scene for around seven hours before the road was reopened.

A Gloucestershire police spokesman said charges were not currently being pressed against the 78-year-old male driver of the Mitsubishi, who is from Dursley, but enquiries were still ongoing.

A spokesman for the South Western Ambulance Service Trust said they had received a call at 5.56pm of a road traffic collision on the road, with the first ambulance arriving at 6pm.

“There was one male casualty, who was working underneath the lorry at the time of the incident,” the spokesman said.

“Unfortunately the casualty was pronounced dead at the scene.”

At time of going to press yesterday, Gloucestershire Coroner’s officer Peter Hobday said the post mortem was due to be carried out later that day and the inquest into the man’s death was likely to be opened today, Thursday.

A mother-of-two who lives near the scene of the accident, and did not wish to be named, said the police cordoned off the road outside her house and stopped people walking down the road from the roundabout further up.

“I couldn’t see much because they put a big drape over the truck,” she said.

“Then we were told to go back inside. I had my two kids with me so I didn’t want them to see anything.”

Another Woodfield resident, a 70-year-old retired company director, who also asked not to be named, said he had heard a bang from his garden but thought it had come from the allotments nearby.

“But then I saw the cars lining up and I had a look and someone was bent over the man at the ambulance truck,” he said.

“It looked like he had broken down and had jacked the vehicle up and had his warning lights on.

“It wasn’t very nice at all. There were a couple of girls here and they were very upset.

“You do not expect it to happen here. It was very upsetting.”

Tributes and flowers have been left at the scene.

One message read: “Dearest John, goodbye you lovely, lovely man. Your contagious smile will stay in our memories. Your warmth and friendship will stay in our hearts. With love , Rob, Maxine and girls.”

Another said: “A lovely man took too soon. Our thoughts are with Caroline and family at this sad time. Love Sadie Lynn and family.”