A three-year-old boy tragically lost his life after being struck by a van while out with his mother and siblings delivering church leaflets, an inquest has heard. Gideon Booker was hit by a Ford Transit van on April 11 last year in Colehill, Dorset, after momentarily stepping away from his family.
The Incident
Gideon's mother, Rebecca Booker, had brought her children out to distribute leaflets ahead of an Easter service. She recalled hearing a loud bang before her other children shouted and she saw Gideon lying in the road. Residents reported hearing a 'horrific scream' at around 2pm from one of Gideon's siblings after the collision.
The driver of the van, who remained at the scene and called 999, stated he was driving slowly, believing the 30mph road had a 20mph limit. He described slowing to a crawl due to parked cars and needing to let another vehicle pass. As he manoeuvred around the parked cars, he saw a 'blonde blur' before hearing a bang and immediately applying both the footbrake and handbrake.
Investigation Findings
Forensic collision investigator Chloe Jenkins calculated the van's maximum speed at full acceleration could have been 22mph, but a more reasonable estimate was between 11mph and 14mph. Area coroner Brendan Allen noted the driver had acted appropriately in his awareness and braking, but there was insufficient time to stop.
Pathologist Dr Russell Delaney stated Gideon would have been rendered instantly unconscious and died very quickly, if not instantly, from complex skull fractures. He added that 'nothing that could have been done by anyone' would have saved Gideon's life. The coroner concluded Gideon died from a head injury resulting from a road traffic collision.
Family Tributes
Gideon was remembered by his mother as a 'kind and affectionate boy' with a cheeky smile, describing him as the 'most perfect child' she and her husband, Michael Booker, could have ever asked for. Mrs Booker said: 'He was just about to start preschool a week after the accident, and I had been so looking forward to finding out more about his personality.'
She added: 'He was a quiet boy out and about with meeting new people and he was never far from mummy's side. But when he was at home with just the family he would be the biggest entertainer.' The loss of Gideon was described as 'so profound' that words cannot describe it, and the 'pain gets greater with each passing day'.
Mr Booker, an Afghan war veteran, said: 'My Gideon was a cuddly little teddy bear who you just wanted to pick up and cuddle. I used to love to play flight with him. He was a proper boys boy who loved the outdoors, mud, diggers and Daddy's tools.' He added: 'When Gideon died part of Becs and I died too and we will never be the same again. The only thing that keeps us going is that we must live for our other beautiful children and that as Christians, we do believe wholeheartedly that we will be with him in Heaven again.'
