Boy, four, was killed after crashing into a metal fence post while riding his new mini-motorbike for the first time, inquest hears
- Jacob Gamlin-Turner crashed into a metal fence post on a children’s motorcycle
- Inquest heard he was taking first spin with protective gear when he got on bike
- He ‘appeared to hit a bump’ before slamming into fence, coroner also heard
- Left with ‘unsurvivable’ head injuries, the four-year-old was taken off ventilation
A four-year-old boy was killed after crashing his new mini-motorbike into a metal fence post on his first spin, an inquest has heard.
Jacob Gamlin-Turner was riding the child’s motorcycle for the first time when he ‘appeared to hit a bump’ before slamming into the fence in south Wales, a coroner was told.
He had longed for a motocross bike after watching his older brother take part in the sport so his father Ross Turner took Jacob to the Britannia Sports Field in Blackwood to try his out for the first time.
Jacob was wearing an orange and white motocross suit with gloves and a helmet when he ‘applied the throttle in an uncontrolled manner’ before he crashed.
The four-year-old was taken to hospital where doctors told his family that his spine was dislocated and he had ‘unsurvivable’ head injuries.
His devastated family were by his side when Jacob’s ventilator was switched off a day after the accident.
Jacob Gamlin-Turner (pictured) was riding the bike for the first time when he ‘appeared to hit a bump’ before slamming into fence, a coroner was told
The inquest heard Ross had gone to the field with Jacob, a friend and Jacob’s grandfather.
Senior coroner Caroline Saunders said: ‘Ross considered that this would be a safe location for Jacob to have his first ride on his new motorbike.’
The inquest heard Jacob was enjoying trying out other mini-motorbikes before getting on his own.
On his new bike, Jacob rode from one side to the other on his bike while three adults ‘stood in a triangle’.
He then ‘appeared to hit a bump’, veered off and hit the fence post on May 4 last year, the hearing was told.
The inquest heard he ‘applied the throttle in an uncontrolled manner’ before throwing himself from the bike and hitting the fence.
The father from Blackwood then ran towards his son to desperately try to stop the collision before he found Jacob unresponsive on the floor.
The inquest heard he carried out CPR while paramedics rushed to the scene where they revived Jacob.
He was rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff with ‘unsurvivable’ head injuries, internal bleeding, rib fractures and spine dislocation.
Dad Ross, of Blackwood, ran towards his son to desperately try to stop the collision before he found Jacob (pictured) unresponsive on the floor
His devastated family were with him at the neighbouring Noah’s Ark Children’s Hospital when his ventilator was stopped at 12.40am on May 5 last year.
Collision investigators found the motorbike was in ‘good working order and was appropriate for his age’.
Coroner Ms Saunders said: ‘Jacob was a four-year-old little boy who from the day he was born had a love of sports and the outdoors.
‘His passion was his motorbike and he had a flare for riding.’
The inquest in Newport, Gwent, heard his medical cause of death was given as traumatic brain injury.
Ms Saunders said: ‘Jacob Gamlin-Turner died on May 5, 2021, at the University Hospital of Wales from fatal head injuries sustained the previous day when the children’s motorbike he was riding collided with a metal post.’
The coroner recorded a conclusion of accidental death.
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