Schoolboy Harrison Palmer died while running across a road in Cornwall

A boy ran into the road and died after heading into town with friends when their soccer practice was cancelled. An inquest heard that Harrison Palmer did not stop at the central reservation at Pool with the other youths.

The 12-year-old, described by his family as “our beautiful boy”, died on the spot when he was hit by a van. Kelvin Fulcher, 68, the driver of the Ford Iveco was arrested at the scene but no further action was taken against him.

The inquest at Cornwall Coroner’s Court in Truro heard the schoolboy had tripped. The boys ran to the central island of the reservation, but Harrison, for some reason, did not stop and continued to run, and was hit by the truck in the opposite lane.

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The builder, Mr Fulcher, said he was driving 26mph along the 30mph road at the time. He said he knew four children were walking towards the central reservation, but then he heard a thud as he passed it and stopped.

He told the hearing: “I don’t know if he fell or tripped, I assume he must have tripped. I went by and heard a thud, it wasn’t a very nice feeling.”

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Mr Fulcher tested negative for drink and drugs and was not using his mobile phone at the time of the collision. There were some minor defects in his truck, but they did not cause or contribute to the accident.

The collision happened on the A3047 Agar Road in Pool, near Redruth, and Harrison suffered multiple non-survivable injuries. Some witnesses believe the boys had sprinted at the time.

Cornwall senior coroner Andrew Cox said three of the children stopped at the central shelter but Harrison, from Camborne, continued without looking or was going too fast to stop halfway.

Harrison’s mum Natalie Buckland said: “He was always so cautious when crossing roads, he would stop and check multiple times, he wouldn’t cross if a vehicle was in sight even in the distance. I think that makes it harder to understand. Our beautiful boy is gone too. death greatly influenced the lives of all who knew and loved him.

“Every aspect of our lives has been affected and turned upside down. Our hearts will always be broken and we are all so lost without him.”

She said Harrison was “full of energy, run, climb – our little whirlwind.” She said he was a keen footballer who loved being outdoors, who was “loud, hilariously funny and quick-witted”.

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Harrison’s family said his death had affected his school, friends, the lorry driver, emergency services and those who helped at the scene and wanted to praise the “incredible work that our emergency services do”.

The coroner recorded the conclusion of the road collision.

At the time, Harrison’s “broken” family paid tribute to “our beautiful boy”. A fundraiser to give him the best possible farewell raised more than £9,000.