A PASSING motorist “cringed” and shut his eyes when he saw an elderly pedestrian was about to be hurt in a crash, a court heard.

Gerrard Machin was critically injured in Durley Chine Road in Bournemouth in December 2011 and died a month later in hospital.

Brian Stuart Williamson was driving to work at AIM Aviation at Hurn Airport when his Volkswagen Passat was in collision with the 77-year-old in Bournemouth’s West Cliff.

Builder Terence Crump told Bournemouth Crown Court he was driving his Toyota Surf jeep towards the seafront when he saw the crash.

“I could see what was going to happen and I sort of cringed,” he said.

He added: “I shut my eyes and opened them and he was in the air spinning around.”

Mr Crump said he stopped his vehicle and ran to check Mr Machin’s heart as he called out to his workmate to call emergency services.

Williamson, 30, of Ardfaeja, Londonderry, Northern Ireland, denies driving without due care and attention on December 2, 2011 and thereby causing the death of Mr Machin on February 5 last year.

Rob Welling, prosecuting, said Williamson “constructed” an explanation to police in his second interview that the full headlights on another vehicle had blinded him.

“Had he been paying proper attention he should’ve been able to see Gerrard Machin and he should’ve been able to stop,” he said.

The case continues.