A seven-year-old boy with autism and potential ADHD died after running onto a busy road in Nottinghamshire, an inquest has heard. Logan Lee Sydney Denniss was hit by a car on the A38 Kings Mill Road East in Sutton-in-Ashfield at 8.26pm on March 10.
Logan had escaped from the family home and was running away from his mother, Joanne Parker, in what he saw as a "game". The inquest at Nottingham's Council House heard that Logan had tried to escape previously and that on the night of his death, Ms Parker had ordered a takeaway.
Mother's tribute to 'happy child'
Ms Parker told the inquest that Logan's autism and potential ADHD left him with no awareness of danger. She said: "Even when he was in trouble, he would never be upset about it. He just loved the thrill of living life on the edge. He didn't understand what would have happened if he did what he did. Right before he stepped onto the road, he looked at me and was smiling. He wasn't scared."
In a tribute, she added: "He was just a very happy child. He just wanted to play and adventure. If he wanted to do something, he'd find a way. You wouldn't catch him watching TV."
Sequence of events
Sarah Butler, a police investigator with Nottinghamshire Police's serious collision investigation unit, said Ms Parker had gone out to collect the takeaway from the delivery driver at the gate of the property. The gate was left unsecured by the delivery driver, meaning it "bounced" back open, reports the Nottingham Post.
Ms Butler said Logan found a key to unlock the house and was able to run through the open gate. "As soon as Logan left, he was running," she said. "Joanne had tried her best to start improving the awareness and teaching him. However, because of his difficulties, his awareness of danger in general wasn't something he was aware of."
While Ms Parker ran after her son, "because Logan had difficulties, he was interpreting her attempts as a game," said Ms Butler. "She was struggling to keep up with him because she wasn't appropriately dressed to go out. Eventually, she realised she needed to stop and try and encourage him back. She asked him if there was anything she could get him to entice him back."
Collision and investigation
Logan then stepped out onto the A38 and into the path of a Honda Civic. Witnesses had seen Logan running down the road, but given that his mum was approximately 50m behind him, they thought the situation was "in hand". The Honda driver himself thought Logan and Ms Parker were two joggers on a run around the King's Mill Reservoir and after the impact he believed he had hit a pothole.
The inquest heard the driver had taken a hands-free phone call just before the collision, but investigators ruled this would not have been enough to distract him. Breath tests on the driver raised no concerns and as soon as the impact occurred, he got out of the car to go and assist in first aid on Logan.
A post-mortem carried out after the collision found Logan died from aortic transection. Forensic collision investigator Steven Smith said: "The driver had little or no time to react to the situation. Had Logan come from the other side of the road, then it would have been a different matter. The collision was a tragic culmination of a series of unfortunate events and circumstances."
Coroner Neena Sharma agreed Logan died as a result of aortic transection caused by the crash and said in her conclusion: "I find that Logan's autism and ADHD were highly relevant factors. He had a significantly reduced appreciation of danger and risk and he was prone to running away unexpectedly. I'm equally satisfied that Joanne Parker acted immediately upon becoming aware that Logan had left the property. This was a tragic road traffic collision."
