A father was killed instantly when an uninsured student driver crashed into him as he walked along a motorway in the rain trying to find his girlfriend after they had rowed at his best friend’s wedding.

Peter Ridyard, 33, was ‘in good spirits’ and looking forward to starting a new job as an energy broker hours before he was hit by Mehren Chaudry, 21, an Audi driver who admitted having smoked cannabis the morning before the crash. 

Mr Ridyard was drinking at the wedding at a hotel in Bury, Greater Manchester, and posted a final picture of himself on Facebook with the caption ‘And I'm ready, boom’ before he had a row with partner, Carmel Mitchell, 40, on August 12 last year. The couple had a disagreement between 11pm and midnight and Miss Mitchell left the hotel to sleep in her car, despite Mr Ridyard begging her not to go. 

The next day she refused to believe he was dead when police notified her of the crash, which also saw Chaudry smash into three other cars.

He was banned from driving for 15 months and fined £140 after admitting to driving without insurance and with excess cannabis last year. 

Mr Ridyard was hit by Chaudry, 21, as he walked along the dark and wet southbound carriageway at 1am with his belongings in a pillowcase.

Chaudry had hired the car for the evening, and was driving his friends home to Blackburn from a burger bar in Manchester. Admitting that he had smoked cannabis on the morning of the crash, Chaudry said: 'We headed home to Blackburn. I had not been drinking alcohol. I had not taken any medication, illegal or legal.

'I do not drink. I had taken some cannabis earlier on in the morning. I use cannabis once in a blue moon not very regularly.

'I was on the M66 south going towards Blackburn. It is a road that is very familiar to me. At the time it was raining and it was quite foggy an there were no lights on the motorway just car headlights. There are lights on that stretch of road but they just weren't on.

'The speed was down to 50mph because of the weather. I was driving at 50 to 55mph. 'At the time it was raining heavily and the wipers were on full and it was a bit misty as well because of the rain. The visibility was very reduced. I was in the right outside lane. 

'I was not distracted. My eyes were on the road. My friends were having a conversation in the back but I wasn't paying attention.

Chaudry said he heard 'a massive slam under the car' and just saw 'a white t-shirt' when he hit M Ridyard.

'There was a lot of blood outside and inside the car including on myself. I remember smelling alcohol or beer,' he said. 

'My driver's window was open. There was the smell of alcohol and it wasn't from me because I hadn't been drinking that night. It was too quick to see anything.