A young boy who died after he was hit by a car was crossing a busy road because the underpass was flooded, an inquest heard. Tyler Wills died of his injuries in East Surrey Hospital, Redhill, after he was struck as he tried to cross Crawley Avenue, Crawley, on November 25, 2022. Horsham Coroner’s Court heard the 12-year-old had been in a rush to get home from playing football with a friend because his phone had run out of battery.
The pair had tried to use the underpass but it was flooded and Tyler did not want to ruin his new football boots. The inquest on Thursday, heard concerns about West Sussex County Council’s management of flooding in the underpass, which the court was told is a regular occurrence. Tyler was described as the most amazing boy (Image: Sussex Police) In a statement to police, Tyler’s friend said he had tried to discourage him from crossing the northbound carriageway at the central reservation as high vegetation blocked the view of oncoming cars.
He told him there were other crossing points but he said Tyler “would not listen”. Further up the road there is a traffic light crossing opposite Ifield Community College, where Tyler was a pupil. There is also Curly Wurly Bridge in the other direction.
Read more: Funeral of boy killed in car crash attended by hundreds of mourners in football tops In a statement given to police, the driver of the car that hit Tyler described the horrific moment and said she had been unable to return to work in the afterm.