Hampshire builder died after being hit by tram on birthday weekend away in Prague, inquest finds

James Elton, from Crookham Village, in Fleet, had gone with his partner, Amber Minterne, for the trip to the Czech Republic which she had given to him as a present.

Ms Minterne told the Winchester inquest held remotely by videolink that they had enjoyed the weekend visiting the tourist sites and had spent his birthday on November 3 last year drinking in bars.

She said: ‘We consumed a lot of alcohol, he was very good at that, I could never keep up.

‘One of the last bars was an Irish bar, we had lots of fun in there, drinking shots, people-watching.

‘We were both drunk, I wouldn't say very drunk, we had been drinking all day.’

She said they then ate at a McDonald's before playing hide and seek as they made their way back to their hotel.

Ms Minterne added: ‘We were just having fun and mucking about, almost like young teenagers being drunk, skipping around, dancing, jumping out on each other.’

She said she lost sight of Mr Elton and returned to the hotel and went back to look for him when she saw the emergency services.

She said: ‘I came back out and I remember trying to call him, that is when I remember seeing the emergency lights and I crossed over the road and that's where I saw a man lying on the ground in front of a tram.’

Giving her view of how the accident happened, Ms Minterne added: ‘Due to the alcohol and what we were doing he misjudged it and didn't look crossing in between cars.’

She added: ‘They told me he died on impact.

‘They said the impact would have killed him straightaway.’

Paying tribute to Mr Elton, she added: ‘He was a very beautiful man both inside and out and made a massive difference to my life the seven years I knew him.’

Mr Elton's father, Maurice Elton added: ‘He worked all his life to build up his own company and was on top of his game when this unfortunately happened.

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‘He was fun-loving and just enjoyed life.’

Coroner Jason Pegg said Mr Elton died of a head injury and recorded a verdict of accidental death.

He said: ‘James was in Prague with his partner Amber for a celebratory weekend in relation to his birthday.

‘It's that much more tragic he should lose his life on the day of his birthday celebrations.’

He added: ‘It's more likely, in his inebriated state, he simply failed to recognised the speed and distance of the approaching tram as he stepped out from between two parked vehicles and to his surprise was struck by the tram.’

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