Lichfield crash: Thomas Collett, 13, named as pedestrian who died after being hit by SUV

Tributes have been paid to a “darling” teenage boy who died after being hit by a sports utility vehicle (SUV). Thomas Collett, 13, was named as the victim of the collision in Lichfield, Staffordshire.

The teen was a pedestrian who was hit by a Nissan Qashqai at about 6.30pm on Friday (31 May). Police have said that the driver of the vehicle, who was known to Thomas and his family, is supporting officers with their investigation.

Thomas’ family have paid an emotional tribute to the football mad teen. In a statement they said: “Our darling Tom, you were the kindest, cheekiest, witty and clever little boy anyone would’ve met, your love for football, Formula One and your family was completely unmatched. Your personality shone through everything you did, from playing football, to your eating habits and wind-ups.

“We are going to miss you more than you could ever imagine, God really does take the best ones first, I hope you know how loved you were and how your memory of everyone and everything you loved will live on inside of us forever.”

His family have asked that their privacy is respected at such a difficult time. Police enquiries are on-going into the collision.

Anyone who saw the collision or has CCTV, dashcam or doorbell footage of the area at the time can get in touch with Staffordshire Police by calling 101, quoting incident 544 of 31 May, or by messaging them using Live Chat on the website. Contact collision investigators directly by emailing [email protected].