A police officer hit by a car as he directed motorists away from a broken-down van on the A12 died in a "tragic accident", an inquest jury decided.

PC Rod Daniels, 53, of Leigh, had been driving along the A12 at the Kelvedon bypass on February 8 last year, when he stopped to help the driver of the van, which was blocking the inside lane.

Chelmsford Coroner's Court heard he died instantly of multiple injuries after being hit by a red Ford Sierra Sapphire car as he attempted to guide other vehicles away from the vehicle.

Van driver Moawia El Dewieh, of North London, told the inquest jury how PC Daniels led him from the vehicle to the safety of a nearby bridge.

The inquest heard how PC Daniels called police and then walked back down the A12 on the verge to alert the oncoming traffic.

Several passing motorists told the inquest they had seen PC Daniels by the verge waving his arms.

Leslie Marshall, a lorry driver, told the jury how he witnessed PC Daniels being struck by the car.

He saw PC Daniels waving his arms, when he was travelling in the inside lane of the A12.

He was overtaken by the Sierra, which then pulled back into the inside lane with PC Daniels just 20 yards away.

Mr Marshall said: "I saw the brake lights on the Sierra come on and it went left on to the grass verge, it was sliding along sideways.

"Next thing I saw was the car collide with the police officer, who went up over the top of the vehicle."

The passenger in the Sierra, Ian Ling, of Clacton, whose friend Kemmel Hussain was driving, said he saw PC Daniels and felt the car being driven to the outside lane.

He said: "We were manoeuvering into the outside lane when I felt a thud on the front of the car and the car then went out of control.

"When we came to a stop we got out and I realised the officer had been hit."

Mr Ling said that he did not see the actual collision.

PC Christopher Black, of Essex Police's traffic investigation unit, told the court how no defects were found on the Sierra and the reason Mr Hussain lost control was unknown.

Coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray instructed the inquest jury to return a verdict of death as a result of an accident.

Mrs Beasley-Murray, said: "It was a very, very tragic accident. I would like to offer my sympathy and condolences to the family."

Published Monday, March 18, 2002