  Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD) technology has been used to design and
construct prototypes of time-zero detector for experiments utilizing proton and
pion beams with High Acceptance Di-Electron Spectrometer (HADES) at GSI
Darmstadt, Germany. LGAD properties have been studied with proton beams at the
COoler SYnchrotron (COSY) facility in J\"ulich, Germany. We have demonstrated
that systems based on a prototype LGAD operated at room temperature and
equipped with leading-edge discriminators reach a time precision below 50 ps.
The application in the HADES, experimental conditions, as well as the test
results obtained with proton beams are presented.
