Schoolboy cyclist who died in road collision went downhill through red light with no brakes

A 13-year-old cyclist who died in a road traffic collision in Macclesfield went downhill through a red light on a bike with no brakes, an inquest has heard. Tyler Wolstenholme died from multiple injuries when he was involved in a collision with a van on the Silk Road on January 29.

Cheshire Live reports that Wolstenholme had three bikes and would normally ride the 1.5 miles to school.

The boy left his home on Buxton Road, which leads up to the Cat and Fiddle, shortly after 8am and descended Brook Street towards the Silk Road, a major road that bypasses the town centre.

Witness Alison Bowers, who was driving her child to school, was behind Wolstenholme as he rode downhill towards the junction.

She said he was ‘pedalling fast and then freewheeling’ as he approached the junction and she made the decision not to overtake.

She said: “I saw him approach the lights and I said, ‘Oh my God, he’s gone through at red’.”

Police investigators examined Wolstenholme’s Haro BMX and found it had no brakes.

Bowers said she did not see his feet touch the floor in an attempt to slow down.

She said she had noticed he was riding a small bike and was not wearing a helmet.

After going through the red light, Wolstenholme was involved in a collision with a van driven by Ola Abiona, who was heading north from Congleton.

Abiona said he approached the junction in the outside lane and passed into the crossroads with the traffic lights on green.

Another witness who was driving on the inside lane of the Silk Road provided dash cam footage which backed up all the witness versions of events.

Accident investigator PC Thomas Baird said the collision took place 23.5 metres from the stop line on Brook Street in the middle of the crossroads. He said Abiona would not have had time to see Tyler and take evasive action.

The coroner recorded a conclusion of death as a result of a road traffic collision.