A WOMAN who lived in a tent alongside the A47 at Wisbech was killed by a car as she returned to her makeshift home, an inquest heard on Wednesday.

Jolanta Baciuliene accompanied her drunken partner across the road after they had both been into Wisbech to fetch some clothing.

The Lithuanian woman – who had not been drinking – was dressed in a dark jacket belonging to her partner Rytas Banys and there were no street lights as she returned to the tent encampment near the New Bridge Lane caravan site.

The 43-year-old was struck by a car driven by Fiona Donovan of Leicester just before 6pm on January 29. She suffered chest injuries and was later pronounced dead at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King’s Lynn.

In a statement, Mr Banys told coroner William Morris that he was carrying a bag of clothes on his back at the time.

He said: “We waited for a few cars to go by, then I said ‘let’s go’ and I crossed the road.

“Before I had fully crossed the road I heard a bang. I did not see Jolanta cross the road because of the bag on my back. I had seen car lights in the distance, but thought we had time to get across.”

Ms Donovan told the inquest she saw “a flash of something” for just a split second before the collision.

Pc Steven Edwards said: “Mr Banys was drunk and that may have impaired his ability to assess the situation.

“He led the way across the A47 and reached the other side. Possibly Ms Baciuliene followed without checking it was safe to do so.”

A police reconstruction concluded that it would have been difficult for a driver to detect a pedestrian on the road.

The coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death.