Boy, 12, died crossing busy road 'because underpass was flooded', inquest hears

Twelve-year-old Tyler Wills died at East Surrey Hospital following the collision on Crawley Avenue on November 25 2022.

Assistant West Sussex Coroner Alicia Keen heard this week that Tyler, of Arnfield Close, Crawley, died of a fractured skull – a linear fracture of the occipital bone – caused by the collision.

The coroner’s record of inquest states: “Tyler was in a hurry to get home to charge his mobile phone and was crossing the A23 north east bound dual carriageway on Crawley Avenue having been unable to use the subway as it was flooded, when he was hit by a vehicle.

“At about 14.45 Tyler crossed onto the central reservation which had a hedge running along it reducing both his view of oncoming traffic and the driver's view of him.

"As he stepped off the verge from behind the hedge he collided with the offside front of the vehicle causing a fracture to his left occipital bone. He received immediate medical treatment and was taken to East Surrey Hospital but did not survive his injuries and was pronounced dead later that day.

“There were other crossing places further along the carriageway but this appeared to be the quickest way of crossing from the pathway to the south of the carriageway onto the opposite pathway to the north.”

The coroner recorded a verdict that Tyler died as a result of a road traffic collision.