"There was no screeching or screaming so I didn't pay any more attention to it."

Only when Ms Hanson's husband left the apartment and informed them of the presence of police and ambulances on the street below did she go outside.

Ms Hanson said police had asked her if she'd heard anything unusual and she told them about the odd noise.

"Thinking about it since, it sounded like an impact," she told the inquest.

Members of Mr Brown's family wept in the gallery as another woman, Donna Milkins, described her attempts to help the injured man.

"I crouched down to see if he was OK. I spoke to him ... there was no response when we were talking," Ms Milkins said.

Luke Pascoe was on schoolies week and travelling with friends in a taxi when they spotted Mr Brown on the road.

Mr Pascoe said it was obvious Mr Brown was in need of help.

"His head was in a lane of traffic," Mr Pascoe said.

"I could hear him. I knew he wasn't breathing right ... there was lots of blood gushing out of his head."

Taxi driver Satinder Singh told the inquest he was heading back to base to end his shift when he changed lanes to avoid hitting Mr Brown.

When asked if he thought to stop to help Mr Brown, Mr Singh said he should have but didn't.

"I thought he was drunk and would eventually move," Mr Singh said.

The inquest continues.

AAP