Inquest opens into tragic death of Wirral teenager Daniel Chong (From Wirral Globe)

Inquest opens into tragic death of Wirral teenager Daniel Chong

10:24am Wednesday 8th August 2012 in News

A WIRRAL teenager lost control of a scrambler motorbike and hit a lamp-post, an inquest was told.

The hearing into the death of 16-year-old Daniel Chong, which was opened by Wirral coroner Christopher Johnson on Tuesday, was told he had been thrown off the bike as he exited a roundabout.

The Wallasey School pupil died on Sunday, August 5, at Arrowe Park Hospital following the accident earlier that morning.

Coroner’s officer Donald Johnston said Daniel had been part of a group who had gone to land near Riverview Road, Bromborough, to ride the bike.

He said: “Daniel had been taken with other people to Riverview Road with the intention of riding a Honda off-road scrambler motorcycle on land situated off the carriageway.

“On arrival at the site, Daniel’s machine was taken out of a Ford Transit van.

"The circumstances of what happened next are still under investigation, but it has been said that he took possession of and mounted the machine. It is said that he was wearing a crash helmet.

“He started the machine and rode off along the carriageway along Riverview Road and away from the group.”

Mr Johnston added that Daniel, from Moreton, managed to negotiate a roundabout further down the road but as he exited it, he “lost control of the machine.”

The inquest was told that as he veered across the road, the bike struck the offside kerb and he was thrown from the machine, hitting a lamp-post.

Daniel was rushed to Arrowe Park Hospital where he was taken straight to an operating theatre but surgeons found he had suffered injuries from which he could not survive.

The inquest was adjourned until a date to be fixed.

Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to call the Road's Policing Investigation Unit on 0151 777 5444.