THE death of a man with Down's Syndrome who was hit by a van after going missing from a residential home was caused partly by neglect, an inquest found yesterday.

Richard Doyle, 26, died from massive head injuries five days after being hit by a Ford Transit on the A19 near Crathorne, North Yorkshire, shortly after midnight on December 29, 2000.

The previous evening he had disappeared from the Larchfield Community facility, in Stokesley Road, Middlesbrough.

His father, Kenneth Doyle, 61, of Harrogate, criticised care workers for not calling police until two hours after his disappearance, despite the snowy weather and him having a mental age of eight or nine.

Richard's sister Helen, 25, told Middlesbrough Coroner's Court that her brother's carer Elisabeth Luedemann-Ravit told her she thought he had gone for a walk.

The court heard that Richard had been unhappy at Larchfield, a facility for people with learning disabilities run by the Camphill Village Trust, and was planning to move to another centre. He had run away once before.

On the evening he disappeared he was upset at the recent death of his mother and did not want to take part in a planned activity.

Miss Doyle, a nurse, called Miss Luedemann-Ravit twice seeking to speak to her brother on the night he disappeared.

"I was told that she didn't know where he was and that she wasn't going chasing after him," she said.

Miss Luedemann-Ravit, 59, called police at 8.57pm after workers and residents had conducted a search of the 156-acre estate.

A statement from the driver, Gareth Lodge, said he had seen a darkly-clothed figure in the middle of the lane he was driving in. He slammed on the brakes but could not avoid hitting the figure.

The inquest jury reached a unanimous verdict of accidental death contributed to by neglect. Coroner Michael Sheffield said he did not recommend any further investigation into the care offered at Larchfield.

Mr Doyle said: "I'm pleased. I feel the verdict accurately reflected what happened."