A SOUTHAMPTON dad crashed into a taxi at 100mph on the M3 before getting out of his vehicle and being killed by a van, an inquest heard.

Tony Smith was struck by a Citroen Berlingo driven by Oliver Boyle in the outside lane of the M3 southbound carriageway at East Stratton, near Winchester at 6.30am.

Minutes before the crash the 37-year-old electrical engineer from  Firtree Way was involved in a high-speed crash where he hit the back of a taxi driven by Martin Pospisil.

Winchester Coroner’s Court heard how Mr Smith from had worked a 12 hour shift the day before, and was driving back to Southampton from Lincolnshire on October 17.

A statement by his mother Glenda Smith, said that he had suffered brain injuries in a car crash in 2011, and since then struggled with tiredness.

The inquest heard that driver fatigue or tiredness may have been a possible cause of the initial crash, according to forensic collision investigator PC Emma Clifford.

The court heard he had done the journey in four parts so he could have regular breaks.

PC Clifford said that during the journey he had reached speeds of up to 110 miles per hour.

There was no satellite navigation data for the final leg of the journey on the M3, but PC Clifford concluded from examining the vehicles that he was likely to have hit the back of the taxi at 100-105 mph.

She said the road conditions were dark and wet, which meant there was reduced visibility.

Taxi driver Martin Pospisil  said he moved to the outside lane and was travelling at about 70mph when Mr Smith’s car struck him from behind.

He said before the crash he had not seen any lights in the outside lane.

After the crash, Mr Pospisil drove further down the M3 and pulled into the hard shoulder.

Mr Smith’s car came to rest on the inside lane, and it is not known how long it took until he got out of his vehicle.

Driver of the Citroen Berlingo, Mr Boyle told the court he had “no time” to react to the presence of Mr Smith in the road.

He said to police in a statement he had moved into the outside lane to overtake a lorry, he said it looked “clear” in front of him, but he realised that the two vehicles in the left lane were slowing down quite quickly.

The court heard that at the time of the crash he was travelling at around 50mph.

Mr Boyle said: “I did not know what was happening I was concentrating on two of the other vehicles in front and what they might do, suddenly and quite unexpectedly I saw a man standing in the middle of the lane eight meters in front of my car looking at the other carriageway with his back to me.

"It happened in only milliseconds - I had no time to react at all.”

Senior coroner Grahame Short recorded a verdict of death due to road traffic collision and said lessons could be learnt from the death.

He said that it could have been possible that Mr Smith was fatigued and had a small period of unconsciousness which caused the first crash, but also said the first crash could be caused due to him not noticing the taxi.

Mr Short said: "Mr Smith survived that first collision.

"His fatal decision was getting out of his car when he pulled to a stop just up behind the tanker in lane one.

"I suspect he was suffering from shock and was not thinking logically.

"The result was Mr Smith was killed more or less instantly.

"He failed to realise the danger he was in and see the headlights were coming towards him, but maybe he was not facing that direction.

"Mr Boyle had no time to react.

"This case serves to illustrate the very real danger of exiting your vehicle after a collision on the motorway.

"He would have been protected if he had remained in his car.

"There is a lesson for all drivers in this case."