AN inquest into the death of a wedding guest who was hit by a car on a motorway has been adjourned because two key witnesses failed to appear at the hearing.

Peter Ridyard, from Bolton, was said to be in a drunken ‘zombie’-like trance after deciding to leave the wedding, at the Village Hotel, Bury, and walk home on Saturday, August 13 last year.

Several drivers took evasive action to avoid a collision before he was eventually hit by a high-powered Audi A5 driven by a 20-year-old student who had been smoking cannabis.

Mehren Choudry, a student from Blackburn, who had hired the car to take his friends for a night out in Manchester, was also not covered by insurance.

Choudry pleaded guilty to driving with excess cannabis and without insurance and was banned from driving for 15 months, fined £140 with £85 costs and £30 victim surcharge at Blackburn Magistrates Court in March. His licence was endorsed with six penalty points.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting at the magistrates’ hearing, said Mr Ridyard, aged 33, had decided to walk home at around 1am. Miss Allan gave details of eye witness accounts of what followed.

A taxi driver told how he had to swerve violently when Mr Ridyard stepped in front of his car.

“He pulled over to call the police and when he looked in his mirror could see Mr Ridyard ‘walking like a zombie’ across the motorway,” said Miss Allan.

Another witness who sounded his horn as he narrowly missed Mr Ridyard said the pedestrian didn’t even seem to notice. Seconds after he pulled over to call the police four men got out of a black Audi and the driver, Choudry, came to his window screaming; “I’ve hit someone, I’ve hit someone!”Choudry gave a reading of 2.2 micrograms per litre of sample. The legal limit is two.

Yesterday, coroner Julie Robertson waited for 90 minutes before adjourning the inquest after two witnesses failed to arrive. At Rochdale Coroners Court she said that efforts would be made to make sure they would be present when the hearing reconvened on August 8.

She said: “Following today we will write to both witnesses and try to establish the reason why they did not appear.We will do everything we can to try to maximise the chances of that happening again.”

A previous hearing on March 1 had also been adjourned due to the criminal proceedings against Choudry.