A football fan deliberately opened the emergency door on a coach before falling to his death on the M5 motorway near West Bromwich, an inquest heard.

Daniel McFarlane, aged 22, from Newport, Wales, died on January 31 after he opened the emergency door of the 49-seater vehicle while it was travelling south at more than 60mph near Junction 1 of the M5.

Daniel was part of a 37-strong coach party of fans returning to Gwent in Wales after attending the Manchester United v Everton match at Old Trafford.

The inquest heard that before opening the door an argument had taken place after glass was broken on the coach.

At Smethwick Council House yesterday, trip organiser Darren Wallis told the hearing he had asked Daniel, who had been drinking all day, to clean up the glass but he refused.

The inquest also heard an argument broke out between Daniel and another passenger and as a result of this row Daniel had been told he would have to get off the coach at the next service station.

Mr Wallis said: “He walked down the stairs and I said “oi stupid, get off the door” and he said “you want me off the bus, I’ll get off here”.

Witness Lee Nicholas of Humber Road, Newport, said he saw Daniel jump out of the door and saw a car swerve to avoid hitting him, but he was then hit by a second car. A post mortem revealed Daniel, who worked as a shutter installer, died of serious multiple injuries, which included multiple fractures, haemorrhages in both lungs, his kidneys and his brain.

It also showed he had taken cocaine.

Pc Stephen Pearson said there was nothing the car driver or coach driver could have done to prevent the death and Daniel would have known he was opening the exit door and not the toilet door.

He said: “In order to open the door in the first place a concerted effort must have been made to do so.”

Black Country coroner Robin Balmain adjourned the inquest and issued two arrest warrants for two witnesses who had failed to attend the hearing.