Henry Thirsk was pronounced dead at the scene in Everingham, near Pocklington, after getting out of the Range Rover that he was struck by on April 20, 2022.
The 74-year-old, who owned the Feathers Hotel in Pocklington, was found lying near the car by his wife Sarah-Jane, the inquest at Hull Coroner’s Court heard.
Dr Christopher Johnson, a home office pathologist who carried out a post-mortem on Mr Thirsk, said the Range Rover was found near the bottom of a hill.
The car’s indicators and lights were on with the driver-side and rear doors open, the hearing was told.
Dr Johnson said an autopsy revealed that Mr Thirsk died of chest injuries due to being “crushed” by a vehicle.
He explained that the severity of the injuries meant Mr Thirsk’s chances of survival would have been “extremely unlikely”.
Coroner Professor Paul Marks said Mr Thirsk “would not have suffered”, adding that his death would have been instantaneous.
Dr Johnson said Mr Thirsk’s injuries matched those expected of someone that had been run over by the tyres of a vehicle.
He noted that Mr Thirsk had heart issues but said it was “very unlikely” that he would have collapsed because of this and been run over by the car.
Mrs Thirsk told the hearing that she saw headlights from the window of their home on the night of April 20 and thought it might have been Mr Thirsk’s car.
Mr Thirsk had left the property earlier that night, with his wife believing that he was most likely checking on business matters nearby, the inquest heard.
But after some time Mrs Thirsk said she had not heard from her husband and could still see headlights outside.
She decided to go outside to check on Mr Thirsk and phoned her brother when doing so because it was dark.
Mrs Thirsk told the court that she could not see her husband in the car when approaching it.
She shouted for her husband but he did not respond, then she saw him lying on the ground, the inquest heard.
CPR failed to bring Mr Thirsk back to life, inquest hears
Mrs Thirsk performed CPR after moving Mr Thirsk from his side and onto his back.
She said she worked as a lifeguard when she was younger and did what she could remember from her medical training then.
Her brother phoned 999, requesting police and ambulance.
Mrs Thirsk also phoned a neighbour and friend of the family, George Edward Cooper, to help.
Mr Cooper said an ambulance arrived on the scene after around 30 minutes, followed by police and an air ambulance.
Paramedics took over CPR when they arrived on the scene but were unable to resuscitate Mr Thirsk, the hearing was told.
The inquest continues.
