THE search to find the driver who left an SAS soldier for dead on a darkened road has been suspended.

Father-of-two Greg Symonds died of a skull fracture following the ‘hit and run’ in the United States last year.

An inquest held in Hereford today heard the 31-year-old had been in California on exercise with the Parachute Regiment before he was run over.

But, despite car debris being left at the scene and CCTV images showing a matching silver Toyota Camry prior to the crash, US police have been unable to find a matching car.

Today’s inquest heard that Mr Symonds, who was from Newport, South Wales, was hit at 1.50am on March 5, 2017.

He was treated at the scene by paramedics before being taken from the scene by ambulance.

His wife Tamsin flew out to be at his bedside before he died on March 21 at a Los Angeles hospital.

Jerry McKibben, from the Los Angeles coroners department, said Mr Symonds had been found ‘lying unresponsive in the middle of the street’ after being struck by a vehicle.

He said that Mr Symonds was found with a high blood alcohol level at the time of the collision.

Scott Pace, of the Santa Monica police department, said the collision happened on a dual-carriageway.

He added that several car parts were found at the scene; some of which had come from a lower bumper.

Meanwhile, serial numbers on the wreckage helped identify the model of the car.

Mr Pace said that a silver Toyota Camry had been seen on a traffic camera closest to the collision passing east bound and then west bound moments later.

But the images didn’t show the licence plate or occupants of the vehicle.

Police checked vehicles that had been reported stolen and more than 100 cars that had received parking tickets but it “didn’t appear any were involved”, concluded Mr Pace.

In confirming that the investigation had been suspended, Mr Pace said: “Based on information received, Mr Symonds was in violation of the regulation that every pedestrian on a road other than at a crossing should yield right of way to all vehicles.

“The driver should have known that he was in a collision and was required to stop but I don’t believe the driver was at fault.”

Deputy coroner for Herefordshire Roland Wooderson concluded the death was as a result of a road traffic collision.

He added: “It seems to me that Mr Pace did his best to trace the vehicle in the collision.”