THE parents of a backpacker killed in Australia plan to fly to Sydney next month to try to find out exactly how he died.

It is now seven months since Andrew Baxter, 23, of Tadcaster, was killed while walking on a motorway, near Sydney.

A verdict of accidental death was recorded at an inquest in Selby this week, but it failed to give any explanations as to why he changed direction on the motorway or why his car left the road.

Now his still grieving parents, Richard and Helen, will travel halfway round the world to talk to police who investigated the incident - and to lay flowers at the accident scene.

Mrs Baxter, of Station Road, Tadcaster, said: "We feel we need to see for ourselves what happened because there are so many unanswered questions.

"We aren't saying anyone was to blame, but seeing where and how he died may help us to put things behind us and move on."

Andrew, a wood machinist who lived with his parents, had a three-month visa and had only been in Australia seven days when he was killed.

He had hired a car and was on his way to Sydney to visit a friend, Rachel Lister, also from Tadcaster.

It was 3.40am as he drove down the M4 just five miles from Sydney, where he had booked into a youth hostel, when his Hyundai car left the road and ended up on the central reservation.

Andrew got out and, according to witnesses, was walking on the motorway, waving his arms in the air as he apparently tried to flag down passing motorists for help.

He was struck by a pick-up truck and was killed instantly.

The Selby inquest heard that Andrew had been travelling on the westbound carriageway of the M4 at 3.20am - but some 20 minutes later was driving in an eastbound lane.

Witnesses said Andrew's car suddenly swerved as if to avoid something before coming to rest in the central reservation. He was then spotted standing in the middle of the road.

Mr Baxter, a John Smith's brewery worker, said: "We were disappointed with the Australian police report, which didn't tell us a lot. Hopefully, we might get some answers by going out there."

The couple have another son, James, 26.

Mrs Baxter said: "You have to let your children do their own thing and we thought going backpacking in Australia would be a great experience for him.

"He was a shy lad, but had a great sense of humour and lots of friends. We can't believe we will never see him again."

Updated: 15:03 Friday, October 11, 2002