James Baldock, 79, of Churnwood Road in Colchester, was struck by a car on June 29, a coroner was told.
He died in hospital four days later.
An inquest was opened into his death at East London Coroner’s Court on Wednesday, July 16.
“Mr Baldock was a pedestrian crossing the road in Stratford when a car hit him,” said coroner’s officer Jean Smyth.
The London Ambulance Service and air ambulance were scrambled to the scene, she said, but “it was obvious that Mr Baldock had suffered a severe head injury”.
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He was rushed to Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, the nearest major trauma centre, where a CT scan revealed he had suffered a “traumatic brain injury”.
He was admitted to intensive care with “multiple signs of brain damage”.
After the situation was explained to his family, and with no change in his condition or prognosis, a decision was made to switch off his life support.
He was pronounced dead at 4.35am on July 3.
The hospital gave his cause of death as “traumatic brain injury (operated on)”, caused by “road traffic collision”.
“I’m satisfied on those facts this death occurred in circumstances requiring an inquest,” said coroner Nadia Persaud.
The case was initially referred to the Inner London North coroner’s court, as Mr Baldock died in Whitechapel.
As the crash happened in Stratford, it was transferred to the east London court – but Inner London North did not tell East London where in Stratford the incident had occurred.
It also refused to tell Newsquest – and the Metropolitan Police Service press office said it did not know.
Mrs Persaud declared Mr Baldock’s family “interested persons”, a legal status entitling them to legal representation, to view evidence ahead of the final inquest and to question any witnesses called to testify.
She asked her staff to obtain a statement from the family about who Mr Baldock was in life, “chronology of the events, so far as they are aware, leading up to the road traffic collision”, and any concerns they have about his death.
“I understand that there is a current criminal investigation ongoing into the driver of the vehicle,” the coroner said.
“I will need an update from the senior investigating officer within 28 days of today.”
The Met Police press office said it did not know whether anybody had been arrested or charged.
The final inquest was provisionally scheduled for February.
