Uncertainty continues to surround the circumstances leading to the death of a popular young Pembrokeshire labourer who was run over during a night out.

An inquest heard yesterday, Thursday, October 26, that Michael Edgar was very popular, hard working and had lots of friends.

On May 28, 2021, the 27-year-old had been out with friends to the Castle and the Red Rose Inn. He was described by coroner’s officer, PC Carrie Sheridan, as a regular social drinker who had no alcohol issues.

In the early hours of the morning of May 29 he walked a female friend home, they parted company and he walked down the hill towards Pembroke Dock.

His friend said that he had been drinking throughout the night, but he was not drunk and appeared to be in control of his actions.

At 3.35 that morning Ambulance services were called to an unconscious male who had been found at the top of Laws Street Pembroke Dock. He had significant injuries to his head and other injuries to his chest and legs.

Mr Edgar was taken to Withybush Hospital but did not survive his injuries.

A post-mortem by home office pathologist, Dr Stephen Leadbeatter, concluded that Mr Edgar’s injuries were caused by being run over by a slow-moving vehicle while he was already on the ground.

He added that he did not believe that Mr Edgar had been knocked down or that he had died before sustaining these injuries.

He gave the cause of death as blunt injury to the belly and laceration of the liver.

Toxicology results gave a blood alcohol reading of 393 microgrammes per millilitre of blood. However, Dr Leadbeatter said that levels in the sample could have increased after they were taken. Cocaine and its byproducts were also found in the sample.

Deputy Pembrokeshire Coroner, Gareth Lewis, recorded a narrative conclusion.

He confirmed that there had been a significant police investigation into the circumstances surrounding Mr Edgar’s death which had involved analysis of CCTV and automatic number plate recognition data; police interviews under caution; forensic analysis of vehicles and analysis of mobile phone data.

Despite this, it had not been possible to identify who may have been involved.

“How he came about his death is not clear,” he said. “The evidence is not there to support the proposition that he was knocked down. It has not been possible to link any person or vehicle to Michael’s death.

“I can only speculate how he came to be lying on the road at Laws Street. He could have fallen or suffered a medical episode which caused him to fall.

“Equally there could be something more sinister that happened on that evening. The evidence is not there to conclude one way or the other.

“His injuries are consistent with him lying on the road and being run over by a motor vehicle on Laws Street.

“On the evidence I am unable to determine how he came to be lying on the road, how he came to be run over or by whom.”

The deputy coroner extended his sincere condolences to Mr Edgar’s friends and family who had attended the inquest.