Boy aged ten is killed after falling from lorry in dare

[Heracles 417]

Boy aged ten is killed after falling from lorry in dare

Fran Yeoman

A boy died after jumping on to the back of a passing lorry for a dare.

Jordan Widdall-Hughes, 10, and two other boys leapt on to the vehicle when it stopped at a roundabout in Newport, South Wales.

They held on as the articulated lorry began to pull away, but Jordan fell into the major road and suffered fatal head injuries.

One of the boys had already jumped off the vehicle safely, and it is not clear whether Jordan was trying to follow him or was thrown from the lorry into the Southern Distributor Road.

Residents in the Pill Estate area of Newport, where Jordan lived, told police of a growing trend towards children playing on and around moving vehicles. There are fears that the youngsters may be mimicking “traffic surfing” stunts on websites such as YouTube. In February, two boys aged 13 and 15 were filmed clinging on to the back of a moving bus in South Wales. The footage was placed on YouTube but removed later.

Gwent police said there was a group of children present when Jordan fell, including his younger brother Shane, 8, who saw the accident at around 6pm on Tuesday and ran to get help. Emily Gwyer, 25, Jordan’s mother, said: “I got there as he was being put into the ambulance. He looked at me and said, “Help me, Mum’.”

He had to be resuscitated on his way to Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, where he was pronounced dead an hour later. The lorry driver was initially arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but he is now being treated as a witness, police said. A spokeswoman said that he had no idea they were on the back of the lorry.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3768025.ece

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Boy aged ten is killed after falling from lorry in dare

Fran Yeoman

A boy died after jumping on to the back of a passing lorry for a dare.

Jordan Widdall-Hughes, 10, and two other boys leapt on to the vehicle when it stopped at a roundabout in Newport, South Wales.

They held on as the articulated lorry began to pull away, but Jordan fell into the major road and suffered fatal head injuries.

One of the boys had already jumped off the vehicle safely, and it is not clear whether Jordan was trying to follow him or was thrown from the lorry into the Southern Distributor Road.

Residents in the Pill Estate area of Newport, where Jordan lived, told police of a growing trend towards children playing on and around moving vehicles. There are fears that the youngsters may be mimicking “traffic surfing” stunts on websites such as YouTube. In February, two boys aged 13 and 15 were filmed clinging on to the back of a moving bus in South Wales. The footage was placed on YouTube but removed later.

Gwent police said there was a group of children present when Jordan fell, including his younger brother Shane, 8, who saw the accident at around 6pm on Tuesday and ran to get help. Emily Gwyer, 25, Jordan’s mother, said: “I got there as he was being put into the ambulance. He looked at me and said, “Help me, Mum’.”

He had to be resuscitated on his way to Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, where he was pronounced dead an hour later. The lorry driver was initially arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but he is now being treated as a witness, police said. A spokeswoman said that he had no idea they were on the back of the lorry.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3768025.ece

Lets hope he doesn't get it in his head to sue for damages.

Boy, 8, suing for playground fall

FOUR-year-old Jeremy Dale spent six weeks at home with a broken left elbow after falling off climbing equipment at the Little Butterfly preschool.

But on the youngster's first day back at the St Helens Park centre, in June 2004, he fell off a slide - and broke his other elbow.

Now aged eight, Jeremy is suing the preschool's former owner for negligence in the District Court, where up to $750,000 in damages can be awarded.

At a hearing yesterday, his mother Alisha Frith said she thought staff were kidding when she was contacted about Jeremy's second fall on June 28.

Ms Frith said when she dropped him off that morning she told staff - including preschool manager Carolyne Hutchinson - that she didn't want him on play equipment, bikes or in the sandpit.

"I didn't want him to fall on his broken arm," she said.

"I had faith in these people at the preschool to do what I asked them to do, and they agreed to do that."

The court heard no evidence about how the accident happened. Ms Frith said a staff member phoned that afternoon saying Jeremy had fallen off the slide and his right arm looked broken.

That arm was now bowed, with a lump, and "just doesn't look right", she said.

Jeremy had told her he thought it looked "ugly".

His claim includes compensation for future economic loss, with the court hearing his injury could affect his work prospects - and his dream of playing first-grade rugby league.

Counsel for the defendant, Anthony Bowen, argued that Jeremy - who plays football and rides a mini-bike - was not impaired as a result of his injury.

He also denied that a duty of care had been breached.

"It's just not physically possible to restrain a child, particularly a young, active boy ... from undertaking these ordinary, everyday activities," he said.

The preschool, which has since been sold to childcare giant ABC, was adequately supervised and its play equipment safe, Mr Bowen said.

Ms Hutchinson told the court that when Ms Frith brought Jeremy back to the preschool, she checked that the doctor had approved his return.

Three staff members were there to supervise 27 children in his age group, but Ms Hutchinson recalled telling Ms Frith they couldn't offer Jeremy one-on-one supervision or physically restrain him to keep him off play equipment.

She said Ms Frith replied: "He'll be fine."

"I remember her saying, 'He's driving me crazy, I need him back at preschool'," Ms Hutchinson told the court.

Ms Frith denied this, and said she informed staff that if they couldn't handle Jeremy, she would come and pick him up.

Judge Bill Kearns will hand down judgment in the case today.

[panamania79 2]

Boy aged ten is killed after falling from lorry in dare

Fran Yeoman

A boy died after jumping on to the back of a passing lorry for a dare.

Jordan Widdall-Hughes, 10, and two other boys leapt on to the vehicle when it stopped at a roundabout in Newport, South Wales.

They held on as the articulated lorry began to pull away, but Jordan fell into the major road and suffered fatal head injuries.

One of the boys had already jumped off the vehicle safely, and it is not clear whether Jordan was trying to follow him or was thrown from the lorry into the Southern Distributor Road.

Residents in the Pill Estate area of Newport, where Jordan lived, told police of a growing trend towards children playing on and around moving vehicles. There are fears that the youngsters may be mimicking “traffic surfing” stunts on websites such as YouTube. In February, two boys aged 13 and 15 were filmed clinging on to the back of a moving bus in South Wales. The footage was placed on YouTube but removed later.

Gwent police said there was a group of children present when Jordan fell, including his younger brother Shane, 8, who saw the accident at around 6pm on Tuesday and ran to get help. Emily Gwyer, 25, Jordan’s mother, said: “I got there as he was being put into the ambulance. He looked at me and said, “Help me, Mum’.”

He had to be resuscitated on his way to Royal Gwent Hospital, Newport, where he was pronounced dead an hour later. The lorry driver was initially arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving but he is now being treated as a witness, police said. A spokeswoman said that he had no idea they were on the back of the lorry.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article3768025.ece

What's a lorry ?

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

What's a lorry ?

British slang for a large wooden ship.

[panamania79 2]

What's a lorry ?

British slang for a large wooden ship.

Because I was going to say,I have never seen a lorry in Newport (RI).

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Fair few of these though I imagine