THE family of a leading linguist who died after being hit by a car in Studley Green has told the driver 'we do not blame you'.

Dr John Bendor-Samuel, 81, died from multiple injuries after he was struck on the un-lit Wycombe Road at about 6.40pm on January 6, an inquest heard.

The father-of-five, who pioneered Bible translation and literacy work in Africa, was believed to have been crossing the road when he was hit by a blue Mitsubishi Carisma.

Driver Ian Fendom told the inquest he and his wife Tina were taking daughter Molly to High Wycombe to celebrate her 17th birthday when the collision happened.

He said: “It was a split second. I saw a shape but it was in front of the car. It was pitch black. I couldn’t believe someone was there.”

Collision investigator Steven Moffat told Wycombe Magistrates Court the car appeared to be travelling within the speed limit and the car was not faulty.

A reconstruction carried out by police, played to the court, showed it would have been difficult to see Dr Bendor-Samuel, who was wearing dark clothing.

Mr Moffat said: “Studies carried out in America - cars doing 45mph, on dipped-beams on a dark road, nine out of ten drivers would fail to avoid collision.

“I was sceptical, but it was surprising to me just how late I saw the PCSO [during the re-enactment].”

He added street lighting, which has been turned off down the 40mph stretch of road by Buckinghamshire County Council as part of a cost cutting exercise, could have made a difference.

In recording a verdict of accidental death, the Buckinghamshire Coroner Richard Hulett said: “It’s an unhappy and unfortunate thing, causing a lot of pain to a lot of people.”

Dr Bendor-Samuel’s son David thanked the police, before turning to the Fendoms to say: “We have all be aware there are two families involved in this.

“We want the Fendom family to know we have never blamed them, and our thoughts and prayers are always with them.”

In the 1950s Dr Bendor-Samuel effectively founded and established the UK branches of Wycliffe Bible Translators, based in Horsleys Green, and the Summer Institute of Linguistics (SIL), along with brother David and wife Pam.

The Studley Green resident was born in Sussex and gained a host of academic qualifications at Oxford University and London University.