Boy ran into path of car

Thursday, July 31, 2008
6:06 PM

A TERRIBLE and tragic accident is how the coroner described the death of a Dagenham teenager. Jason Jones, 15, was with a group of friends in London Road, Barking, at 10pm on October 27 when tragedy struck, Walthamstow Coroner s Court heard last week.

A 'TERRIBLE and tragic accident' is how the coroner described the death of a Dagenham teenager.

Jason Jones, 15, was with a group of friends in London Road, Barking, at 10pm on October 27 when tragedy struck, Walthamstow Coroner's Court heard last week.

Jason, from Green Lane, Dagenham, was with two other boys and two girls.

A statement from a witness at the scene said that as they reached the pelican crossing opposite the Tesco Supermarket, Jason turned to his friends and said something like: 'The last one to Tescos is a rotten egg.'

At this, Jason and the two lads ran out into the road without looking, and into the path of an oncoming car.

Witnesses agreed that the boys did not press the button for the crossing, and that the traffic lights were green for road traffic at the time they attempted to cross.

Described by his father, Christopher Jones, as a boy with a sense of humour who wanted to go to college and join the Royal Engineers, Jason suffered massive head injuries.

He was treated at the scene by a passing nurse, then taken to the Royal London Hospital, where he died next day.

The pathologist gave the cause of death as massive cerebral contusion and laceration of the skull.

In a police interview the driver of the car, Padmar Sadnani, said: "I went across the roundabout, the road ahead was clear.

"All of a sudden I saw the children as I approached the crossing. They were laughing and I just thought 'Oh no, none of them are looking.'

"And then the windscreen just shattered. I have been driving for 24 years but I just couldn't avoid them."

Coroner, Dr Elizabeth Stearns said: "This was a terrible tragic accident which happened because the boys were in such high spirits and didn't check that it was safe to cross the road."

Verdict: Accidental death.

Comments

Please log in to leave a comment and share your views with other Eastern Daily Press visitors.

Email address

Password Login

Forgotten your password?

OR tick the box below to log in using your account with

I have read and accept the terms and conditions

Not a member yet?

Register to create your own unique Eastern Daily Press account for free.

Signing up is free, quick and easy and offers you the chance to add comments, personalise the site with local information picked just for you, and more.

Sign up now