A WOMAN was fatally injured by a car after walking onto a dual carriageway, an inquest heard.

Ausrine Micyte suffered multiple injuries after being struck by a Volkswagen Polo at around 11pm on a slip road of the A56 in Edenfield in September 2018.

The inquest heard Ms Micyte, 46, had been travelling in a car with Andris Cveks and others on the A56 towards Manchester.

Ms Micyte, originally from Lithuania but who lived in Blackburn, had been drinking champagne and wine at a house before the journey.

In a statement read out during the inquest, Mr Cveks said when travelling near Edenfield, she decided to take off her seatbelt.

The inquest heard her seatbelt was put back on, but Ms Micyte removed it again and opened the door, forcing the driver to stop.

Mr Cveks said: “I asked her what she was doing, and she did not say anything.

“She got out of the car. At first I thought she was being sick but she walked into the central reservation.

“I shouted after her. She tried to go out of sight.”

The inquest heard Mr Cveks saw her climb over the barrier onto the other side of the road and she started to walk towards Manchester.

He said: “She refused to get in the car. I did not want to use physical force to get her into the car.

“We drove to the next junction to come back the way we came but I did not see her, it was too dark.”

The inquest heard Aubrey Boorer had been driving his Volkswagen Polo up the slip road to join the A56 in Edenfield.

Mr Boorer said: “As I joined the A56 I did my mirror checks and my shoulder check. It was dark.”

The inquest heard Mr Boorer had hit something as he was merging onto the carriageway. His windscreen was broken.

When asked by coroner Richard Taylor if he had seen Ms Micyte in the road, he replied “no”.

PC Philip Walker, a collision investigator, told the inquest the slip road was dark and was unlit.

He said: “We believe she was on the opposite carriageway walking into oncoming cars. She did not want to get back into the car and walked southbound on the northbound carriageway.

“Damage caused to Mr Boorer’s car was on his near side of the car.”

Toxicology reports showed Ms Micyte had drank enough alcohol to be classed as three times the drink-drive limit.

PC Walker said the side of the road, although not forbidden to pedestrians, is designed to be off-putting and does not have pavements or verges to walk on.

He said: “There is nothing to encourage you to walk on it. She may have not realised she had stumbled onto a carriageway. She may have thought she was on a pavement.”

The inquest heard Mr Boorer's car did not have any defects.

PC Walker said: “If he had seen her at the last minute the chances of taking any action would have been slim.”

A post-mortem examination revealed Ms Micyte had died from multiple injuries.

During his conclusion, Mr Taylor said Ms Micyte, of Rothesay Road, Blackburn, had “died from injuries when she was struck by a vehicle while intoxicated.”

He said: “It is not clear why she was in the road. It was very dark. It was not an area where pedestrians would be anticipated to be.”

Paying tribute to Ms Micyte in September, a family spokesman said Ms Micyte was a much-loved mother and grandmother.