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Eyewitnesses described the tragic moment a drunken cyclist sped down a hill into a bus windscreen.

Daniel Jackson, of Heckmondwike, was killed instantly in the crash with an Arriva bus last year. He wasn’t wearing a helmet.

The 22-year-old’s bicycle had been fitted with an engine worth an estimated £100 – basically converting it to a motorcyle, an inquest at Bradford Coroner’s Court heard today (Tuesday).

His mum Joelene described him as a “class clown” who grew up to “work all week and party all weekend with cocaine.”

Mr Jackson was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine at the time of the accident shortly before lunchtime on October 5.

He had been out drinking until the early hours of the morning and had around three hours of sleep before going into work at Chem Scaffolding in Batley.

His friend and colleague Sean Brennan noticed he was still drinking wine, took him home to his younger brother Kyle’s house and advised him to get more sleep.

But Mr Jackson decided to stay awake to try to fix his bike’s engine, which was broken, before going to get beer.

En route down Soothill Lane he hit a single-decker bus as it emerged from Grace Leather Lane at only about 3mph-4mph.

Shocked passenger Christine Walker, who was travelling from Batley to Wakefield with a friend, said: “All of a sudden a pedal cyclist came into view.

“The rider had his head down so did not appear to be looking and I don’t think he even noticed the bus.”

She added: “The driver of the bus could not have avoided the collision.”

Driver Tariq Mahmood, from Dewsbury, described the moment the cyclist’s head ‘bounced’ off the bus while his bike went under it.

He said: “Instinctively I braked. When I looked, I saw a young man lying on his bicycle with blood gushing from his head.

“I don’t think I could have done any more. It happened so quickly.”

A post mortem revealed Mr Jackson’s cause of death was severe head injuries and showed he had taken alcohol, cocaine and cannabis.

Paying tribute to her son, mum Joelene said: “The loss of Daniel has massively impacted on the family.

“Due to Daniel coming from such a large family there is always someone who is suffering from a low mood.”

Senior coroner Martin Fleming said: “The tragedy here is that Daniel did everything he should not have on the road.

“Not only was he riding around without wearing a helmet on a bicycle which he appears to have put together haphazardly, but he did it under the influence of alcohol and drugs.”

Mr Fleming sent his condolences to the young man’s loved ones at what he described as a “sad and tragic time for the family.”

No relatives were present at the inquest but Mr Jackson leaves behind his mum and four younger siblings, including sister Jordan-Marie.