A DRIVER whose car collided with two young women on the A64 told police he saw them “only a second” before the tragic crash.

Kevin McGregor claimed he was overtaking when he suddenly spotted two pedestrians in the middle of the rain-drenched road near Tadcaster last year. He said he had no time to brake.

The jury at York Crown Court had earlier heard Jingning Wang, 20, from York, and 21-year-old Quan Qin were rear passengers in a Mercedes CLS driven by Tien Cheng when it smashed into the central reservation in the early hours of November 29. Seconds after they got out, McGregor’s red Mazda collided with them.

Cheng, 28, of Redcliffe Parade West, Bristol, admits dangerous driving but denies causing his friends’ deaths by dangerous driving, while 40-year-old McGregor, of Gladstone Street, Acomb, York, admits colliding with the women, but denies causing their deaths through careless or inconsiderate driving.

Their trial at York Crown Court heard McGregor, interviewed by police, described a car similar to Cheng’s overtaking him “like a rocket” shortly before the crash and believed it was travelling at about 120mph.

He said: “Ironically, I thought something was going to happen with somebody driving at that speed.”

He said further down the road he saw what he believed was one car passing another and began to overtake, a manoeuvre he continued when he realised they were stationary.

“I then saw one or two people in the centre of the right-hand lane and I only had a second to react before I hit them,” he said.

“I didn’t have enough time to brake. I brought my vehicle to a stop as quickly as I could, but by then it was too late.”

Cheng told police he was returning to York from a Leeds karaoke session and, when he got out of the Mercedes after the crash, he saw his friends “laid on the floor”.

The court also heard North Yorkshire Police accident investigation officer Stuart Langford say the impact of the crash left the socks of one or both of the victims lying in the road.

The trial continues.