'Boy may have misjudged speed of car' - coroner

A five-year-old boy was killed running out into a busy road as he tried to find where his older brothers were playing, a Truro inquest heard.

Dexter Chapman was struck by a car on the 60mph A390 road at Penpillick Hill at Par, Cornwall, in April last year.

The assistant coroner for Cornwall Stephen Covell said he had seen dashcam footage of the collision from a nearby car.

An inquest in Truro, Cornwall on Thursday, heard that Dexter had been playing with his brothers in the front garden of their home when the older siblings went to play on a swing in a neighbour's garden.

Mr Covell said: "It is likely Dexter left home to search for his brothers who had gone off to a neighbour's garden."

The boy went down a track towards the main road where witnesses saw him look right and left as he stood on an overgrown grass verge, the inquest was told.

Mr Covell said Dexter may have misjudged the speed of the approaching car or not realised what he needed to look for as he had "no experience of crossing roads".

Dexter ran out into the three lane road and the car driver had no chance of avoiding him as he was driving at up to 45mph on the steep hill, the inquest heard.

The driver said in a statement that Dexter ran out in front of him in a split second and he braked hard but could not avoid hitting him.

There were no defects on the car, the inquest heard.

The schoolboy suffered catastrophic head and other injuries and despite aid given by passing drivers, he died at the scene.

Dexter's parents said he was a "happy, active child" who liked to be out and about and was a "cheeky storyteller".

The coroner recorded a road traffic collision conclusion.

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