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 aftermath. She said she was driving at around 40mph in the 50mph zone. “I saw a young boy come out in front of my car,” she said.
“I did not see him because he was hidden by bushes. “I had no time to react. “My car hit him.
“I was totally in shock. “I am still in shock.” A dog walker who witnessed the crash had also tried to use the underpass but said it was “definitely too deep unless you had wellies on”.
He said he saw Tyler step into the road and shouted “no”. “He stepped straight out into the car without looking,” he said. “He was looking back at his friend smiling.
“The car had no time to react.” Tributes were laid near the scene (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) A driver who was behind the car that hit Tyler said there was “nothing the car could have done”. It was heard that West Sussex County Council had received reports from the public that the underpass was flooded on November 3 and 4.
It was assumed it would be cleared by two pumps which are stationed in the pass. On November 10, another report was received but there was no cover for the officer responsible who was on annual leave. Read more: Community rally around to remember boy, 12, killed while crossing road Another report of flooding came in on November 16.
On November 17 the council requested telemetry data, remote monitoring of the pump system which would alert of any faults, from its contractor Xylem Water Solutions as it had not received any alerts yet there were still reports of flooding. It was discovered the telemetry was not working and that in fact it had not been working for two years on several passes in West Sussex. This would not be fixed until August 2023.
There was another report of flooding on November 20, five days before Tyler's death. Flood boards were put up on both of the underpass entrances. It was not until November 22 that the council instructed Xylem to act when a report came in that the underpass was “under water” and schoolchildren were crossing the road instead.
The council was told the underpass was successfully cleared. The pumps were not checked. Matt Davey, assistant director of highways transport and planning, said while the pumps were working the amount of detritus that had built up limited their capacity.
He said heavy rainfall and the pumps’ reduced capacity led to the pass flooding again between November 22 and November 25. “We have to accept that in periods of heavy rain subways will flood,” said Mr Davey, who added the pumps “can’t always clear the subway”. The day after Tyler’s death contractors cleared the pass of floodwater.
The underpass being cleared following Tyler's death (Image: Sussex News and Pictures) The pumps were also cleared of the detritus a few days later. Assistant coroner Alicia Keen said there was little to discourage people from using the central reservation to cross the road. Evidence from forensic collision investigator Rhiannon Jones suggested the part of the central reservation where Tyler crossed was being used by other people.
Mr Davey said since the incident the council has made improvements including installing a barrier and a fence that guides people to a place with a better sightline to cross. Ms Keen said numerous things contributed to the circumstances of the “dreadful tragic loss” of Tyler and concluded his death was the result of a road traffic collision. She said the driver of the car did not see him until the very last minute and that although they did not know what her reaction time would be, other drivers said she was not speeding and had no time to stop.
“A lot of 12-year-old boys are unaware of dangerous situations,” she said. She said some issues regarding the road and pass have been addressed. “It is a shame it takes a tragedy to happen before someone takes notice,” she said.
In a tribute read out in court, Tyler’s mother Sarah Dudman described her son as “the most amazing boy” and said he had the “heart of an angel”. “He was brave and handsome and mine,” she said. “Every day is a struggle.
“Living without him isn’t right. “I will forever be grateful to be his mum.” Tyler’s father Craig Wills said his son “always put others first” and he would always smile.
“A piece of me died when you did,” his statement read..
